Craving Curves
by WeasleyForMe
Summary: Fred is surprised to find how much Hermione has grown up since her days as the Gryffindor bookworm.  He's even more surprised by how much he wants her.  Hermione/Fred rated M
1. Chapter 1

_Craving Curves by WeasleyForMe_

_Fred is surprised to find how much Hermione has grown up since her days as the Gryffindor bookworm. He's even more surprised by how much he wants her. Hermione/Fred rated M.  
_

_Birthday Story for Preetoaka Raven Potter Weasley! Happy Birthday!_

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Fred Weasley couldn't take it anymore. He couldn't focus on his work, and he couldn't even focus on what his twin was telling him.

"Come on Fred, we need to sign some more documents. Earth to Fred? Pick up a quill and start signing," George said as he danced around in front of his twin trying to get his attention. "What's gotten into you anyway?"

Fred snapped his attention back to the task at hand along with his current tormentor. Hermione Granger handed him a stack of legal documents with a smile. Then she turned and bent to pick up her briefcase, and Fred audibly groaned at the sight of her creamy legs and curvy behind.

Several months previously, Fred and George had decided to further invest in their business by expanding their storefront on Diagon Alley. They planned to extend their product lines and would need more space to do so. After submitting an application for a loan from Gringotts, they began to worry over the annoyance of dealing with someone from the bank's business loans department. They were notorious for inflexibly enforcing regulations and denying loans for expansions.

The twins considered themselves exceptionally lucky to find that their loan officer and liaison to Gringotts would be none other than Hermione Granger, smartie-pants extraordinaire. Fred was dually pleased to find that she was rather easy to work with, and that she had also grown into a breathtakingly beautiful young woman.

Hermione on the other hand, was both pleased and nervous at having been assigned to Weasley's Wizard Wheezes as her first solo flight in her department at the bank. Luck and good timing had best described how she had interviewed for and earned her current position right out of Hogwarts. She had been able to take the place of a highly educated and experienced loan officer who was about to retire, and Hermione attacked her work vigorously.

But there was a nervous energy that was starting to get to her. Working in such close proximity with the twins she had harboured a crush on for much of her adolescence hadn't seemed like a big issue at first, but she found Fred and George to be as undeniably attractive as they always had been. There was something even more intriguing about Fred now, and she noticed it as she handed him some documents to sign. He seemed to give her an appraising, hungry look as he took the forms and began to leaf through them.

Both twins had matured physically and emotionally, as evidenced by George's recent marriage to Alicia Spinnet, one of the more studious and established women to recently come from Gryfindor House. They hadn't changed too much though. George kept his hair at a moderate length, and his blue eyes were as playful as ever. Fred had grown his hair a bit longer, and Hermione noticed he occasionally tied it back as Bill Weasley always had. She found the look very appealing on the twin who stood six feet tall, towering over her petite frame.

As Fred turned back to her, handing the parchments over, he gave her another long look complete with a slight smirk. Hermione tried to smile as she accepted the signed documents and bent to put them into her bag. She felt her cheeks grow warm as she took an extra moment to fiddle with the latch on her bag. She felt as though his eyes burned a sapphire-blue path directly to her very skin. It was with these particular gazes she felt she was bared before him, naked for Fred Weasley's evaluation.

As much as it frightened her, it was not completely unwelcome.

Hermione smoothed her skirt over her hips and turned to the twins. "Well that about takes care of the preliminary paperwork. I need to get back to my office and crunch some numbers and present this to my boss. You should hear from me again before the end of the week," she informed them, trying to avoid eye contact with Fred as much as possible.

"Sounds good, thanks Hermione," George replied as she turned and headed for the door. "Hey, what the hell does 'crunch some numbers' mean?" he asked Fred once Hermione was gone.

Fred was just staring at the exit.

"Oh wow, it's worse than I thought," George mumbled to himself.

"What's worse?" Fred asked after a moment.

George linked his elbow around Fred's neck. "It seems the little bookworm has struck your fancy," George said with a grin.

"She doesn't look like a bookworm anymore!" Fred announced, still surprised by the way Hermione had showed up to the shop the past few days. He glanced around to make sure there were no customers in hearing range. "Did you see her arse, George? That's not just Ronniekin's little friend in that body! She looks fantastic!"

George cleared his throat and lowered his voice as some school aged boys walked past. "Oh, I completely agree with you, but as I'm going home to Alicia in a few minutes, it would be ungentlemanly for me to elaborate…but yes, I did see her arse, and yes, it was very nice!"

Fred burst into laughter as his twin made an hourglass shape with his hands.

"Too bad she's way too smart to fall for the likes of you! See you tomorrow!" George said as he ducked quickly away from his twin and grabbed his coat.

Fred just rolled his eyes as he watched George leave, looking forward to seven o'clock when he could close the shop for the night. He hoped the end of the week would come quickly, bringing with it the return of Hermione.

Trying to get her off his mind, he decided to restock some Patented Daydream boxes. After a few minutes of falling into a daydream about Hermione sprawled out naked on his bed, he gave up, tossed the boxes into the stockroom and locked up early. He needed to get home and have a nice glass of firewhisky to forget all about the curvy brunette and her perfect, innocent smile.

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_So I have an idea where this is going to go, but if you have an awesome thought you think would fit in, please let me know! Thanks for reading and please review! :)_


	2. Chapter 2

_Craving Curves by WeasleyForMe_

_Fred is surprised to find how much Hermione has grown up since her days as the Gryffindor bookworm. He's even more surprised by how much he wants her. Hermione/Fred rated M.  
_

_Birthday Story for Preetoaka Raven Potter Weasley! Happy Birthday!_

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Hermione cleared her throat. "Weasley's Wizard Wheezes has had very stable annual revenues, boosted by outstanding holiday sales. The owners have requested a loan for three hundred thousand galleons to be paid over seventy-two months with one percent interest. If we sign them to a contract, they should be able to pay on time, and the one percent interest will obviously benefit Gringotts as well. Furthermore, the current storefront has brought additional shoppers to Diagon Alley since it first opened. The London Magical Business Council has already notarized a document of approval."

She promptly pulled the document from her bag and passed it around the room for the assorted goblins and wizards to read. For some reason, she didn't want to let the twins down, so she had spent hours and hours in the office over the past few days covering every possible loophole the other Gringotts officials could potential throw up as a roadblock.

"If there are no objections…" she said, looking around the conference room for any raised hands or concerned looks, "then I will send word to the owners of the shop that they have been approved for the loan."

Several of the goblins looked to each other for approval, and Hermione received a nod in approval. Her boss also agreed and signed the final pages in the folder, and Hermione pulled out her wand and magically sealed everything. She couldn't wait to see the look on Fred's face when she told him they had been approved.

Hermione grabbed her bag and rushed off to her office to get the ball rolling. She had been unable to think of much other than Fred Weasley over the past few days, and she wanted to be sure she was looking her very best. It was silly, she knew it; she wasn't even the type of girl to wear makeup or spend a fortune on her wardrobe. But, this week was a little different. She had found herself sorting through all of her clothes two nights before, absently picking out her sexiest outfits.

Now, knowing that she had succeeded in securing a loan for Fred and George, she was anxiously waiting to go home and decide on every detail of what she would wear from her clothes to her makeup and jewelry.

She had run home quickly after work, planning on heading to Weasley's Wizard Wheezes once she had changed clothes. Standing in front of the mirror in her bedroom in a pink lace camisole and charcoal suit skirt, she had to admit she looked pretty good.

"What has gotten into you, Hermione?" she asked her reflection in the mirror as she tried to tame her hair with a brush and her wand. "Harry and Ron would laugh at you if they saw this." It was surprising to her that she was so affected by Fred. If she closed her eyes and concentrated on the past week, she could feel the tingle on her skin that his eyes caused every time he looked at her.

Hermione opened her eyes to see a blush covering her cheeks, and in that moment she felt pretty and desirable. She looked much less innocent than she was. As she pulled on the matching suit jacket and slid her feet into black heels, she felt dangerous.

With one final touch, she pulled her curly hair into a loose bun and grabbed her bag. She apparated to the front door of Weasley's Wizard Wheezes and took a deep breath, pulling the door open and entering the shop with an air of confidence. Every step she took toward the cash registers was done with poised purpose.

"Hermione!" George called happily when he saw her. "Good to see you."

"You too, George. I have some news. Is, um, Fred around?" she asked, starting to falter from nervousness.

"He sure is," George replied with a wink. He turned toward the open door which led into the back room. "Fred!" he hollered, causing Hermione to step back with a small laugh. Some things never changed.

"I'm a little busy, George," Fred called out into the shop. "I'm trying to send out all of these owl orders that are backed up, and I need to finish payroll so our employees won't leave us!"

"Can you come out just for a minute?" George asked sweetly.

"This better be good!" Fred yelled back as he emerged from the doorway.

George grinned evilly at him as his twin paused when he saw Hermione. "Good enough for you?" George asked in a sugar-coated voice, nodding his head in Hermione's direction.

Fred's eyes came to focus on her and as they met hers she wanted to both run away and snog him senseless all at once. Time seemed to slow down to a crawl as his eyes trailed over her body; her brain would surely be twisting these thoughts into an indecent fantasy while she was alone in bed later.

"Hermione," he said with a lopsided grin. Her clunky name had never sounded better to her ears.

"Fred," she managed to say without sounding too ridiculous. Dragging her eyes back to George, her safety zone, she set her bag down next to the cash registers. "I have some really great news for you two. You've been approved for the loan! And, you have six years to pay it off!"

Before she knew what was happening, Fred and George were hugging each other and jumping around. Hermione laughed as they whooped and celebrated. Then, George lunged at her.

"You're the best loan officer in London!" he said, squeezing her and giving her a sloppy kiss on the cheek. "We will be in your debt forever!"

She was pleased to find that a second later, Fred had scooped her up into a hug, spinning her around in a circle. "We owe you, Hermione," he whispered in her ear, sending a hot tingle up her spine. He set her gently on the wooden floor, keeping his arms around her until she regained her footing. When his fingertips lingered on the curve of her waist, she stammered to begin talking once again.

"No, no you two don't owe me anything. It was honestly a pleasure to work on this," she insisted honestly.

George eyed his twin's hand where it rested on Hermione. "I hope this doesn't mean you won't be around the shop anymore," he stated with an overly sad pout.

Hermione giggled. "You'll have no choice but to put up with me; I need to oversee the construction and make sure the bank's money is being used as it was intended."

Fred's happiness grew at this news. "Let us take you out for a drink tomorrow night." He finally let his fingers trail away from her body as he raised an eyebrow, hoping she would say yes.

Hermione laughed nervously. "How can I resist the two of you?"

"You can't!" George insisted merrily. "Meet us here at seven tomorrow night?"

"Done," Hermione agreed as she packed up her briefcase. "See you tomorrow." She tore her eyes away from Fred and left the shop with the same confidence with which she had entered.

"You were right," Fred told his twin as he watched the witch saunter away in her form-fitting skirt and seriously high heels. "It's much, much worse than you thought."

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_Thanks so much for all of the reviews from chapter one- they make my day! I hope you've enjoyed it and will review this chapter! _


	3. Chapter 3

_Craving Curves by WeasleyForMe_

_Fred is surprised to find how much Hermione has grown up since her days as the Gryffindor bookworm. He's even more surprised by how much he wants her. Hermione/Fred rated M.  
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_Birthday Story for Preetoaka Raven Potter Weasley! Happy Birthday! Thanks to Clover Bay for beta reading this story :)  
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"Is this a date?" Hermione mumbled to herself on Saturday morning while she brushed her teeth. Of course it couldn't really be a date with George going as well. Then why was Fred the one who asked if she would like to go out for drinks?

"Because he's being nice," she said, trying to convince her reflection in the bathroom mirror that it was really no big deal.

Of course on her way home last evening she had purchased new shoes to wear tonight. And, throughout the night she had a series of scandalous dreams starring herself and Fred. She groaned and pulled her hair back. She seemed incapable of preventing this from growing into a big deal.

"Hermione, where are you?" Ginny called from the fireplace in the living room of the flat.

"Coming!" she replied and dashed down the hallway to see her friend. Ginny met up with her the first Saturday of every month to have brunch at Peggy's Porridge Pot in Diagon Alley and catch up with each other.

"Why are you still in your pyjamas?" Ginny asked as she hugged Hermione. "It's almost half past ten, and you know how hard it is to get a seat for brunch! We'll be late!"

"Oh bugger, I got distracted," Hermione said, recalling the dream about Fred kissing her entire body which had kept her in bed late into the morning. She looked down at her shirt and shorts. "Just give me a minute while I dress."

Hermione took off toward her room. "Hey have you been working out? Your legs look great in those shorts," Ginny called after her.

Hermione snorted. "No, you must have just gone completely mad," Hermione replied, throwing on some jeans and a blouse. She checked her appearance in the mirror before returning to the kitchen.

Ginny stood at the kitchen counter reading last month's issue of _Better Gnomes and Gardens_ and snacking on a jar of peanuts.

"Oh my goodness, we are on our way to brunch. Why are you already eating?" Hermione jokingly asked. "You're just as bad as your brothers!"

"Hermione, I resent that. I ate a _very_ small breakfast this morning with Harry, and this is my first snack today," she said popping one last peanut into her mouth.

"I don't know where all you Weasleys hide the food," Hermione said eyeing Ginny's tiny waist.

"I guess Bill wasn't hiding it well enough. Fleur has him on a diet, and he's miserable!" Ginny said with a laugh heading toward the fireplace.

Hearing the topic change to one of Ginny's brothers, Hermione tried to find out more about Fred. "Have you seen the twins recently?" she asked as Ginny scooped up some floo powder.

"Yup," she replied before tossing it into the fireplace and disappearing.

Hermione quickly rushed after her. "Well what did you talk about?" she asked, following Ginny out of a narrow hallway and into the main room of the crowded café.

"Talk to Fred and George?" Ginny asked absently.

"Yes!" Hermione replied, exasperated by the difficulty of garnering information from her friend. A waitress ushered them to a small table in the corner of the room packed with witches and wizards.

Once they had ordered coffees, Hermione looked expectantly at Ginny.

"Oh, I don't know," Ginny said, standing and pulling Hermione to her feet and leading her to the brunch buffet. "We were all over at the Burrow one night for dinner and they talked about work a bunch," Ginny added while piling eggs and sausages onto her plate.

"That's it?" Hermione asked selecting a cinnamon muffin and some bacon.

With a very full plate, Ginny led the way back to their table through the crowd. "Why are you so interested in them?" Ginny asked suspiciously as she took a bite of her omelet. "Well, George and Alicia were going on about remodeling their cottage. Then George was teasing Fred about some bird he's all enamored with," she said, rolling her eye and eating some sausage.

Hermione's heart dropped; Fred was already interested in someone else. "Oh yeah?" she asked sadly, picking at her muffin.

"Yeah, apparently they are expanding their store, and Fred thinks the representative from the Ministry is cute." Ginny took the last bite of egg. "Or, maybe she was from Gringotts, I don't really recall. Are you ready for seconds?" Ginny asked nodding toward the buffet.

Hermione could feel her cheeks burning red from excitement and shock. Her heart leapt at her friend's words.

"Wait a second, you work in the business loans department at Gringotts…." Ginny said distrustfully, eyeing Hermione's flushed cheeks and barely contained happiness. "Oh Merlin! You're the bird from the bank with the nice legs! I even noticed them earlier myself!" Ginny shrieked loudly.

Hermione tried to hide herself from the other patrons, but a few men turned to look their way.

"Will you be quiet?" Hermione hissed across the table.

"No!" Ginny returned having forgotten about their meal. "Are you dating Fred?"

"No! I wasn't even sure he was interested until just now!"

Ginny could tell how giddy Hermione was. "I don't know if I like the idea of you shagging one of my brothers, especially after dating Ron," she joked.

"I never shagged Ron," Hermione insisted, crossing her arms. "And with my luck, I'll never shag anybody!"

"Ok, calm down. When are you going to see him?" Ginny asked hurriedly trying to calm Hermione.

"Tonight!"

Ginny eyed the buffet longingly and sighed. "Let's get a move on then," she said, leading Hermione toward the exit. "But you'll owe me a dinner.

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Several hours later, Ginny was poised over Hermione in the bathroom at Hermione's flat. Her sleeves were rolled up, and she meant business.

"Pain is beauty," she insisted, combing serum through Hermione's hair and stepping back to take a look. "And you look beautiful indeed."

"Can I peek in the mirror yet?" Hermione whined.

"Not yet. You're lucky I'm even helping you. Aiding my brothers romantically is basically sacrilegious," she grimaced. "But, growing up with them, I was forced to learn all about what they like. And, Fred is going to go bonkers over you tonight."

Ginny steered Hermione into her bedroom and started tearing apart her closet looking for the required items. "Stop that, I see what you're doing," she said as Hermione tried to check her reflection.

"Sorry, but it's a little hard to trust you at the moment! You've held me captive for five hours of makeup application and hairspray, and I'm starting to feel like a doll!"

Ginny rolled her eyes and pulled a dark pair of jeans out of the closet.

"No, no, I'm not wearing those. They are too tight," Hermione insisted.

Ginny smirked. "I'm not giving you a choice!"

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Hermione was more nervous than she would have been without Ginny's help. She fidgeted as she walked through the dinnertime crowds down the last block of Diagon Alley to Weasley's Wizard Wheezes. Although she thought her jeans were too tight, Ginny had gushed over her hourglass figure and the modest cleavage provided by the deep purple blouse. And, she never knew how to use eyeliner before today.

As she turned the last corner, she took a deep breath and flicked a ringlet of her perfectly glossy hair over her shoulder. She walked with a purpose as she saw that the twins and Alicia were already waiting for her.

"Look what the hippogriff dragged in," George muttered with a whistle once he saw Hermione approaching them.

Fred turned slowly to face his tormentor. "Wow."

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_Woohoo! The drinks are coming up next. What could possibly happen? Please review :)_


	4. Chapter 4

_Craving Curves by WeasleyForMe_

_Fred is surprised to find how much Hermione has grown up since her days as the Gryffindor bookworm. He's even more surprised by how much he wants her. Hermione/Fred rated M.  
_

_Birthday Story for Preetoaka Raven Potter Weasley! Happy Birthday! Thanks to Clover Bay for beta reading this story :)_

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Hermione could feel Fred's sapphire eyes burning into her skin as she came up to the small group. For the briefest moment, she recalled her dreams from the previous night and had to suppress a giggle. She smiled at them as her heart fluttered, and it didn't matter where she looked, she knew his eyes were on her.

"Hey, Hermione," Alicia greeted with a hug. "It's great to see you, and nice to have a girl come out with us," she laughed, nodding her head to the twins. "You know those two and their never-ending nonsense."

Hermione laughed and returned the hug. She was happy to see Alicia was wearing a formfitting top and heels as well; she knew she would feel less out of place in Ginny's chosen ensemble.

"She had no choice but to come with us," Fred said with a lopsided smile.

"That's right, we owe her at least fifty drinks and twenty dinners," George added draping an arm around her. "Now where would you like to go? The Leaky Cauldron? Or perhaps the Hangman's Rope? Maybe the Witch's Wart?"

Alicia scoffed. "We are not going to any of those hole-in-the-wall bars where you boys enjoy sloshing about with a pint. That's no way to repay Hermione for her help!" The twins both frowned sadly at her.

"Why don't we try Silk City Tavern?" Hermione suggested. "I've been there once, but it was very crowded."

"Yeah, I guess so," George agreed.

"Only if we can still slosh about," Fred added with a laugh.

They headed up the block, chatting about this and that, and soon Hermione felt Fred's hand come to rest on the small of her back.

"You look stunning," he whispered to her. "You always look beautiful, but I'm partial to purple," he added, running his fingers along the soft fabric of her blouse.

She was almost afraid to meet his eyes, and when she did, she felt the chill he always seemed to give her. "Thank you, Fred," she said, managing a coy smile. Ginny had been useful after all, making sure Hermione was wearing his favourite colour.

Simply knowing that Fred had been referring to her as the leggy girl from Gringotts gave a boost to her ego. She watched as Fred nervously licked his lips as she walked closer to him. "And, you look pretty good yourself," she purred as they reached their destination.

Fred froze on the sidewalk as she sauntered into the tavern behind Alicia and George.

"Coming?" she asked sweetly, holding the door open for him.

He eagerly followed her inside and had to force himself to not touch her again. "This is going to be a long night," he muttered as they found a small booth in the back.

"What can I get for you?" a waitress asked them as Fred squeezed onto the bench next to Hermione.

"A pint," Alicia requested.

"Same," George added.

"Me, also," Hermione piped in.

Fred leaned close to the waitress and quickly mumbled something.

"I'm sorry, I didn't catch that," she told him.

"I said I'll have a Sugar Plum Spritzer, please," he managed to say loud enough for her to hear while still hiding behind his hand.

She gave him a worried look and walked away to get their drinks.

"Really?" George asked. "You really just ordered a spritzer?"

Alicia was trying to contain her laughter as Hermione leaned closer to Fred and gently patted his back. "Does that have any alcohol in it, or do you just like the little umbrellas?" she asked in an overly sweet voice.

"Oh sod off, all three of you. They taste good, and you know it, George. You drank ten of them at Lee's wedding!"

They were still poking fun at Fred when the waitress returned; his pastel pink beverage did in fact come with a tiny yellow umbrella and a fruit skewer. "Ok, laugh it up," Fred said as he bit a piece of pineapple off the end of the skewer, "but I'm not sharing my mango with you." He finished the fruit pieces and winked at Hermione.

"Oh! I love this song!" Alicia squealed, pulling George up and dragging him to the dance floor. George bounced around his wife, trying not to slosh his beer everywhere.

"Would you like to join them?" Fred asked Hermione. For the first time all evening, her confidence wavered; she was a dismal dancer.

"Uhh…." She peeked over his shoulder to watch George flailing around completely lacking rhythm, miming to the bartender that he wanted another beer. She couldn't possibly end up looking that ridiculous, right?

"Sure," she agreed, smiling at Fred.

He grinned back and quickly finished his spritzer, and then he tucked the tiny umbrella behind her ear. "Lovely," he told her, taking her by the hand. They found a spot near Alicia and George during a fast song.

Hermione eyed Fred nervously, and he frowned slightly in response. "I'm not a very good dancer," they both blurted simultaneously over the music, and then they erupted into laughter.

Fred pulled her closer and then turned her into a fast spin. Hermione gasped in surprise, but she was facing Fred again before she could really react. Then he led her in circle around the floor, dancing a polka-tango to the fast rhythmic music.

"We must look ridiculous!" Hermione mused over the noise.

Fred leaned close to her ear. "Not as bad as George. Never as bad as George!"

Hermione looked to see his twin jumping up and down wildly next to Alicia, who happened to be extremely coordinated by comparison. "You're right!" she exclaimed, practically getting giddy from looking into Fred's eyes. His arms were around her waist, and she felt so happy, she almost forgot that her new shoes were uncomfortable and her hair was probably getting frizzy.

"Ready for another drink?" George asked, interrupting her thoughts.

They started to head back to their booth to take a break. "Join me in the loo first," Alicia demanded with a smile before they made it that far.

Hermione followed her into the trendy ladies' room to freshen up. "So?" Alicia asked excitedly.

"So what?" Hermione asked, caught off guard and confused.

Alicia was practically jumping out of her skin. "So how long have you and Fred been seeing each other?"

"Oh, well we aren't," Hermione replied.

"Right, and I'm Merlin's great-grandmother," Alicia retorted. "When George told me we were going on a double date, I was excited. And then when I heard you were Fred's date, I was ecstatic!"

Hermione was puzzled. "Who told you I was going as his date? The twins just invited me out for a few drinks as a means of thanking me for helping them out. I, well, nobody really said it was a date," Hermione finished, suddenly very nervous.

"Oh! Then I misunderstood!" Alicia said apologetically. "I guess I was just hoping George knew something that I didn't."

Hermione eyed Alicia who suddenly didn't look so innocent as she bit her lip.

"Maybe I might have overheard Fred mention that he thinks you're attractive," Alicia gushed guiltily.

"Is that so?" Hermione muttered. Ginny and Alicia had both confirmed it, and Hermione's determination was renewed. "Maybe you can help me," she told Alicia who was all ears.

The girls chatted quietly on their way back to the table, returning to find plates of food and another round of Sugar Plum Spritzers for everyone.

"We got hungry," Fred informed them.

"And luckily the kitchen is still open," George added. The girls were no match for their identical, charming smiles, and soon the four of them were digging into the various snacks.

"This drink actually is pretty good," Hermione admitted after a few sips of the frozen drink.

"Would I steer you wrong?" Fred asked her, clearly pleased that she was enjoying it.

"Is that a trick question?" she countered.

"Have I ever been one to play tricks?" he asked, leaning closer.

She laughed. "That's an easy one. Yes."

"Well that may be so, but perhaps I've grown up a little since your days as a Prefect," he suggested with a shrug, running his fingers through her hair to adjust the yellow umbrella.

Hermione saw past the playfulness in his eyes to something deeper, and suddenly it felt like they were completely alone. "Maybe you have. I'd like to find out," she whispered, aware that his eyes were glued on her lips.

Alicia let out a very exaggerated yawn and quickly stood. "Wow, I'm exhausted. Time to go, George," she said, pulling him out of the booth after her.

"Wait! I'm not done eating," he whined, grabbing a plate of chips to take with him.

"Have a good night you two," Alicia called, grinning as they left.

Fred waved, slightly puzzled; Hermione just smiled at Alicia.

"Well, _I'm_ not tired yet," Hermione informed him innocently with a glint in her eye.

"Sneaky," Fred told her, narrowing his eyes and smirking. "I appreciate that in a woman."

Smiling, Hermione just sipped her drink and planned out her next move.

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_I had to split the evening into two parts. More to come soon! Please leave me a review and let me know what you think :)_


	5. Chapter 5

_Craving Curves by WeasleyForMe_

_Fred is surprised to find how much Hermione has grown up since her days as the Gryffindor bookworm. He's even more surprised by how much he wants her. Hermione/Fred rated M.  
_

_Birthday Story for Preetoaka Raven Potter Weasley! Happy Birthday! Thanks to Clover Bay for beta reading this story :)_

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Hermione's next move consisted of ordering Sugar Plum spritzers until she and Fred were sitting so close that she could feel the warmth radiating from his body. The only thing keeping her in her own end of the booth was that look in his eyes. She could feel the sapphire blue burning along her skin when he looked at her; Fred made her nervous, and she didn't happen to mind at all.

"So, why exactly are you single, Hermione?" he asked her, his eyes slightly squinting as he took in her full lips. It didn't make sense to him that she would be alone. She was quite physically appealing with her petite frame, glossy curls and never-ending curves. And, she was the most hard-working, intelligent person he'd ever met.

She blushed a deep crimson and looked away from him. "I, well, who can say really? I've just been focusing on my career, well…. that sounds like a bad excuse, huh?" she asked scrunching her nose and taking a bite of fruit from the end of her tiny umbrella. "I just am," she said with a firm nod.

"Me too," he replied with a wink. "Let's dance."

"Right now?" she asked, noticing that the music selection had begun to slow down. But, Fred was already standing and trying to coax her out of the booth, and she couldn't say no to his hopeful smirk. After all, she did have him alone now; might as well use the time given to her.

"Ok, ok," she agreed with a giggle as he led her onto the floor. Within moments she was wrapped up in Fred's arms. Danger met warmth, and her heart and head were saying the same thing: grab hold of him.

She let her arms settle into place around his neck as a new song started. His longer hair skimmed along her knuckles, and she saw his penetrating sapphire eyes soften as he looked down at her.

"Dancing with me isn't so bad, right?" he asked with a grin.

"I guess I've had worse," she replied with shrug.

"Brutal," Fred murmured against her curls. She could feel his breath against her ear, and his fingers skimmed along her sides, running over the silken purple fabric of her blouse. They came to rest at the top of her hips, barely moving in the tiniest of circles along her generous curves.

Hermione had to bite her lip to keep herself from squealing as they moved with the music. "I'm not so bad once you get to know me," she whispered back.

His deep laughter next to her ear sent a shiver along her skin. Hermione couldn't understand how he made her feel this way. For weeks she had been feeling stripped naked by his glances, and now his touch had her wanting more of him. She was craving skin to skin contact, and she ventured to let her small fingers meet the back of his neck.

Just as she edged closer to him, the music started thumping and the floor became crowded with more dancers as the late night party seemed to swing into full effect.

Hermione still held onto him as he asked over the music, "Should we get out of here?"

A pang of disappointment flooded her at the thought of their first date ending so abruptly. Reluctantly she started to release him, looking up into his still softened gaze. "Yes, I suppose we should," she replied as the dancing crowd grew, jostling her around.

It was the spark behind that look, though, that heartened her as she realized that the night might not be ending as quickly as she first thought.

Fred took her hand and led her over to the table, leaving a generous stack of gold to cover the cost of their drinks and food.

"It's very late," Hermione noted as they exited the pub.

"May I apparate you home?" Fred asked, already pulling her next to him.

She nodded with a smile before they both spun on the spot and disappeared. A few seconds later, they landed with a jolt in a hallway just outside the door to her flat.

Without releasing her, Fred looked down into her eyes. She was nervously biting her lower lip with her front teeth and smiling coyly. His mind was flooded with thoughts of dragging her into her apartment and ravaging her until the sun rose, making breakfast, and taking her back to bed until lunch time. He was starting to grow uncomfortable the more his imagination took shape.

"I had fun tonight," he managed to grunt, dragging his mind back to the present.

Her smile brightened. "I did as well."

He nervously started to ramble. "Maybe we can do something again, just you and I next time though, or we could always have George and Alicia come along too, of course. Or just me, taking you out."

Hermione couldn't take her eyes off his lips as he spoke, and she squeaked as his lips came crashing against hers, taking her breath away. She took a step backward until her rear met the closed door, and she was sandwiched between Fred's body and the cold wood. His kisses were more persistent than anything she had felt before. His hands found the spot on her hips where they had left off before, running over the tight fabric of her jeans, pulling them closer together.

As he released her lips, she steadied herself with his shoulders. "Wow," she managed to whisper, barely catching her breath before his lips met hers in a heated reunion.

Fred's fingers wound their way through her smooth curls until her hair was rather mussed. As his hands slithered up higher on her waist finding her ticklish spot, she gasped, involuntarily inviting him into her mouth. His tongue found hers, and Hermione felt her tummy flip. It took all of her willpower to keep her feet planted on the ground instead of climbing on top of him.

Hermione was actually afraid she was going to melt as Fred's kisses lessened in intensity. He playfully nipped along her lower lip until he gave her several long, slow kisses that brought her heart rate back to normal.

"So can I?" he asked, running a finger along her slightly swollen lower lip.

"What?" she gasped, still slightly confused.

Fred chuckled. "Take you out again," he told her. After she nodded with a smile, he added," I'll see you on Monday or Tuesday, and we can figure it out then."

He kissed her cheek and promptly apparated away. It took a very giddy Hermione a few minutes to fiddle with her keys before she made it inside her flat. Then she jumped up and down and squealed.

* * *

_Oh Fred, always the charmer! I hope you enjoyed the rest of their evening... more is on the way soon. Please leave a review!_


	6. Chapter 6

_Craving Curves by WeasleyForMe_

_Fred is surprised to find how much Hermione has grown up since her days as the Gryffindor bookworm. He's even more surprised by how much he wants her. Hermione/Fred rated M.  
_

_Birthday Story for Preetoaka Raven Potter Weasley! Happy Birthday! Thanks to Clover Bay for beta reading this story!_

* * *

The rest of the weekend flew by in a blur for Hermione, and by Monday she was just coming to the realization that she and Fred had shared a hot, passionate snog. Every time she thought about it, she started to drift into a daydream about what was in store for the next time she saw him. But in the meantime, work had begun to pile up on her desk. She had to send an owl to the twins and let them know she wouldn't be able to make it to their shop before the groundbreaking ceremony for the new construction began on Wednesday.

* * *

"Do you think I scared her off?" Fred asked, nervously reading the note from Hermione over George's shoulder. It was Monday afternoon, and he'd been hoping to see Hermione all day.

"Depends. How bad was your breath when you kissed her?" George asked, poking fun. He turned to look at Fred's worried face. "Oh, calm down. She only said that she's really busy at work, but she said she'll be here on Wednesday for the groundbreaking party. I'm sure that's all there is to it."

"She's a woman. That's _never_ all there is to it," Fred mused aloud. But, the kisses had just been too steamy, too good; he couldn't be the only one who wanted more.

George chuckled. "Right you are, but Alicia is a woman too, and she insists that Hermione fancies you."

Fred scoffed. "Alicia just wants me married off so I'll stop dragging you about and getting us into trouble!"

"Wow, you're on a roll today," George admitted with a laugh. "Just take a deep breath and relax. She'll be here on Wednesday. And at least this way, I can try to get some work out of you today and tomorrow."

Fred frowned and rolled up the sleeves of his vibrant green work shirt. "Yeah, I guess I should go work on the Gravity Gumdrops so we actually have enough products to fill the new store addition."

"Go flex your Potions muscles," George encouraged with a grin as he turned to wait on a group of girls holding pygmy puffs and giggling.

Fred immersed himself in product research for the next two days, and by Wednesday at lunchtime he'd finished the prototypes for two different candies: Gravity Gumdrops and Chocolate Covered Migraines.

He had also managed to stop thinking about Hermione for about thirty minutes total in that period of time. Between her kisses, her curves, and the memory of her laughter, Fred thought he'd have to stop over at Gringotts to make sure she wasn't avoiding him.

"You look frazzled, Freddie," George mused as his twin emerged from the laboratory portion of their shop.

Fred grunted, flattening his hair and pulling his work robe over his clothes. "Two more prototypes are ready to be tested, but I'm not really in the mood for a migraine right now." He paused, noticing the massive amount of people swarming around the store and milling about outside the front window.

"I agree, a migraine is not a smart option since the groundbreaking is about to begin," George agreed, also slipping on his magenta robes.

"Is she here?" Fred asked quietly, looking around the room for his curly haired tormentor.

"Haven't seen her," George replied before being cut off by a tall, attractive woman with jet black hair and emerald green eyes.

"Gentlemen," she purred to the twins. "Lydia Tafferton, lead journalist for _The_ _Daily Prophet_. I was very much hoping to have the privilege of an interview with you both." Her smile turned into a catlike grin, knowing she'd be able to use her beauty to get anything she wanted.

"Or course!" George agreed jovially, ready to do just about anything for a feature article in the newspaper. He took her hand and led her back behind the old fashioned cash registers and wooden counters to the only area free of customers visiting for the groundbreaking party.

"We would be absolutely delighted, Ms. Tafferton," Fred agreed; George's enthusiasm was obviously catchy. He pulled three folding chairs from the cabinet, and the group sat down. The twins were pleased to see that she was using one of their self-inking quills to conduct the interview.

"Your products are ingenious," she told them with a wink. "May I call you Fred and George?" she asked very sweetly.

Within moments, the twins were eating out of her hand, imagining all of the publicity for their new line of Wonder Witch Junior products that would debut in time for the next school year. Lydia Tafferton was imagining the bonus she was about to receive if she could convince the twins, London's most eligible business owners, to a series of exclusive interviews with _The Daily Prophet_.

Hermione wove her way through the crowded shop, hoping that she would be able to find Fred in the menagerie of witches, wizards and displays of products. She hadn't imagined their party would attract quite so many people, and she wished she could have left work sooner.

"Ginny!" she exclaimed, excited to run into her best friend.

"Sweet Merlin! Look at this crowd," Ginny gasped, pulling Hermione into a quick hug. "How've you been? Hey, you never told me about your date with Fred!" she yelled, realizing she had cause to be loud.

"Shhh! You don't have to announce my personal life to the entire world!" Hermione scolded, blushing a shade of scarlet.

"Well? Did he like the purple blouse? Did you snog? Did you take him home?" Ginny was relentless.

Hermione tried to hide her face as several people around them turned to look. "Yes, yes and NO!" Hermione hissed. "Now let's try to find a better place to stand." She tried to steer Ginny into a new conversation topic.

"Oh, and we should find the refreshment table," Ginny said. "My stomach is growling."

Hermione rolled her eyes and led them toward the cash registers. And there Fred was, grinning like a loon as a wickedly sexy woman whispered to him. Hermione's breath caught in her throat, and she almost felt her heart fall. One hot snog, and Fred had already moved on.

"Who's that tart?" Ginny asked, echoing Hermione's thoughts exactly.

"I don't want to know," Hermione whispered, trying to find the fastest way to the door.

"Hey Ginny, Hermione!" George called to them from behind the counter.

Ginny grabbed Hermione's arm before she had time to flee and led her toward George.

"Ready for the party to start?" he asked them happily, excited about the _Daily Prophet_ interview.

Hermione tried to smile back at George, but she couldn't stop looking at Fred and the unknown woman as they stood and shared a hug.

"Who is that snobby looking bird?" Ginny questioned George, nodding her head toward Fred. "And why does she look like she's about to devour Fred whole?"

Fred looked up just in time to see Hermione, the curvy object of all his most recent thoughts, cross her arms over her chest and raise an exceptionally annoyed eyebrow at him. A moment later, Lydia Tafferton's lips came into contact with his cheek before she pranced away with a smile on her face.

* * *

_I'm sorry! Please don't hate me for this very late update, but lots of crazy and exciting things have been going on here! I hope you can forgive me and leave me a review. I will update faster next time!_

_Thanks for reading :)  
_


	7. Chapter 7

_Craving Curves by WeasleyForMe_

_Fred is surprised to find how much Hermione has grown up since her days as the Gryffindor bookworm. He's even more surprised by how much he wants her. Hermione/Fred rated M.  
_

_Birthday Story for Preetoaka Raven Potter Weasley! Happy Birthday! Thanks to Clover Bay for beta reading this story!_

* * *

Hermione felt sick. She needed to find the exit immediately. Why had she believed everyone when they said Fred was interested in her? Why had she thought he was a good guy?

Seeing her friend's reaction, Ginny looked to George for help.

"Hermione, love, we've been expecting you all day!" George exclaimed, looping his elbow around her shoulders. "We always look forward to seeing you!"

"Actually George, I think I'm going to skip the groundbreaking party and just head home," she muttered, trying to keep her eyes from seeking out Fred.

This turned out to be an impossible task; her gaze met his in time for her to see a panicked look on his face as he rushed toward her. "Hermione," he whispered as he reached her. The crowded party and all of the noise around them seemed to dim as he spoke to her.

Hermione realized she was frozen in place as George released his hold on her and disappeared with Ginny. She felt Fred's sapphire eyes appraising her face, but instead of their usual heat, they held hesitation and uncertainty.

"I've missed you," he said, ignoring someone who was calling his name, his eyes never leaving hers.

"Seems that way," she muttered sarcastically. Hermione was afraid to look around the room and see where that awful woman who kissed Fred had gone. Part of her wanted to tell Fred to sod off and run out the door, but another part of her was not willing to lose him.

His face softened as he ran his thumb along her cheek. "I know it looks bad, but that was nothing," he told her solidly.

"It looked like something from here," she insisted, keeping her cool as his thumb sent a chill along her skin. "But, it's really none of my business anyway," she added with a false air of nonchalance, dropping her gaze to the floor.

"That was Lydia Tafferton, a reporter for the _Prophet_," he told her. "We've agreed to give her exclusive rights to interview us during the store expansion, and in return she guaranteed to print at least three cover stories this month that feature our shop and our merchandise."

Hermione bit her lip. She worked for the newspaper? Maybe it had just been all business. And if that were the case, Hermione was business-savvy enough to realize that this could be a huge advertising opportunity for Fred and George. The cover of _The Daily Prophet_ would be seen by every man, woman and child in the entirety of London's wizarding community. It could help make their company grow tenfold.

"Also, based on how much I like you, it _is_ your business, Hermione," he added.

"Excuse me?" she asked, her gaze shooting up to meet his once more.

Fred gave her an appraising look, still ignoring whoever was intermittently calling his name. "I care about you, and it means a lot to me that I don't make you feel badly, even if you don't care for me in the same fashion," he said steadily, although his eyes gave away his insecurity.

Hermione couldn't help but give him a small smile. "You care for me? Since when did you become such a gentleman, Fred?"

Fred looked slightly relieved. "Well, I can't very well tell you that I want to get into your knickers, now can I?"

Hermione felt her cheeks growing warm as she glanced around to see if anyone had heard him. "Not here, you shouldn't say that," she whispered, barely able to meet his eyes.

Fred leaned over and placed a kiss at the corner of her mouth. "I don't _just_ want to get into your knickers. I want to get other places, too," he whispered, taking her hand in his.

Her body thrummed as the meaning of his words came to fruition in her mind. She pictured him in her apartment, in her bed, and in her heart.

"Fred!" called a voice through the crowd. "It's time!"

He reluctantly released her hand. "Will you come have lunch with me tomorrow? George and I will be having an interview at noon, and I'd love for you to be here for it before I take you out."

"Well, I'm not sure if I'll be able to get out of the office," she muttered, still disbelieving that they were having this conversation at all.

"I'm not starting this groundbreaking until you promise me you'll come for lunch," Fred said, stomping his foot playfully. Everyone was already starting to quiet down as George cleared his throat from the makeshift stage in the corner next to the cash register.

Hermione chuckled. "You need to start the groundbreaking, or else my career will be over!" she insisted.

"Lunch?"

"Yes, I'll be here at noon!" she promised, toward the spot where George was standing.

Fred winked at her as he and George magically amplified their voices.

"Welcome one and all," George began.

"To our groundbreaking ceremony!" Fred finished, and the crowd erupted in applause.

Ginny sidled up alongside Hermione, startling her friend in the process.

"Sorry, I'm stealthier than I look," Ginny apologized with a smirk. "Oh, and I found out that snobby woman works for the _Prophet_, and apparently she's just going to put the twins in the newspaper this month, or something like that. Shouldn't interfere with Fred getting into your knickers."

"What's all this talk about my knickers?" Hermione demanded. "And yes, Fred already explained it to me," she added as Ginny cast a knowing look in her direction. Hermione could only roll her eyes and return her attention to Fred as he spoke.

"So, instead of us just simply starting the store expansion ourselves, we're going to ask all of you to get involved!"

"Now we're going to need all of you to take out your wands and aim them toward the wall behind us, and say, '_Confringo!'_" George instructed, and instantly everyone in the room was pointing their wands at him.

"Wait until we move!" Fred cried, as the twins jumped out of the way.

A blast of magic hit the wall, and the groundbreaking had officially begun. Hermione could safely report to Gringotts that their money would be spent on the appropriate venture; unless of course the twins had planned on leaving a gaping hole in the side of their store. She decided not to run that idea past them, in case they found it appealing.

A few refreshment tables had appeared around the perimeter of the store, and soon a full party was in bloom. Everyone seemed interested in talking to the twins about this or that, and it seemed like Hermione had spoken with everyone she knew from Hogwarts before she ran into Fred again.

"You promised," he reminded her, taking her hand.

She smiled at him, and soon he had pulled her into a conversation about the new products he had been working on. "Want to check out the Gravity Gumdrops?" he asked.

He led the way back to the laboratory, past the gaping hole where a few magical construction workers had begun to clear away the debris.

"They look adorable," Hermione gushed as he showed her a tray of colourful gumdrops. "Are they completely finished?" she asked, turning to look at him.

Her appraising look at the new products quickly turned to something more heated when her eyes met his. Within a moment, Hermione was pulling Fred toward her. His lips met hers forcefully, as if to reaffirm what he had said earlier; he wanted his personal time to be her business. She felt her rear end meet the edge of the workbench, and realized she was effectively trapped. Not that she minded.

Playfully, Fred ran his fingers along her side, from her shoulder, past her waist, and down to her thigh. With their attention so completely wrapped up in each other, neither noticed the crowds thinning out in the main store room or the magical carpenters who were waiting as patiently as they could to travel through the work room to gather more supplies.

"Fred," Hermione hissed as he left her lips and trailed kisses across her cheek and along her neck.

"Yes?" he whispered next to her ear.

Hermione almost squealed in delight. She had to force herself to say, "It's getting late. I have to be at work early."

Begrudgingly, Fred released her, and Hermione straightened her outfit.

"Lunch," he reminded her with one more playful kiss. Hermione winked and vanished through the door. Fred took a moment to compose himself before returning to George and a handful of lingering guests.

* * *

_Thanks so much for the reviews from last chapter! I hope you enjoyed this one as well! :)_


	8. Chapter 8

_Craving Curves by WeasleyForMe_

_Fred is surprised to find how much Hermione has grown up since her days as the Gryffindor bookworm. He's even more surprised by how much he wants her. Hermione/Fred rated M.  
_

_Birthday Story for Preetoaka Raven Potter Weasley! Happy Birthday! Thanks to Clover Bay for beta reading this story!_

* * *

Hermione watched as the conference room clock ticked past twelve noon, and she audibly sighed in annoyance. The Gringotts goblins, usually guilty of avoiding conversation with witches and wizards, could be extremely long-winded when discussing gold.

"Also, please keep in mind that I will be sending out quarterly investment pamphlets for everyone to review for next Thursday's meeting. The topics will cover targeting new customers, and retaining the most valuable clients. One more thing, don't forget to hand in your totals from last month by the end of the week," the excessively wordy goblin reminded the business loan officers as he dismissed them for lunch.

Hermione launched out of her seat and was the first one to the door. She dashed as quickly as she could down the hallway and to her desk. She had opted to wear a cute outfit for her lunch date with Fred, but at the moment the stiletto heels were making getting to Fred quite difficult. Grabbing her bag, she clicked along the marble floor into the ladies' room to check on her hair.

"Surprising," she mumbled excitedly to her reflection. She had tried out the charms Ginny had used on her hair the previous weekend, and her curls remained as glossy ringlets, rather than turning into frizz. After reapplying her pink lip gloss, Hermione adjusted her black suit skirt and deep red blouse, pleased with the way the fabric hugged her curves.

Getting nervous about the time, she pushed her way through the restroom exit and dashed for the elevators. Once outside the building, she made a bee-line down Diagon Alley, nearly knocking over a group of elderly witches.

"Sorry!" she paused and apologized profusely, not sure whether she ought to laugh or be upset that Fred was affecting her so. Then she looked at the clock tower over the postal service owlery; it was twenty past twelve.

"Oh no!" She hurried off once again, ignoring the dirty looks from the witches as she rushed into the joke shop.

Hermione composed herself as she walked much more slowly toward the cash registers. She could hear laughter coming from the back room as she greeted the girl who worked as a part-time cashier.

"You can go on back," she was told. Hermione nodded and walked into the space Fred and George used as laboratory work space and storage. Lydia Tafferton was conducting an interview with the twins from a small circle of folding chairs, just as Fred had promised. The three of them turned to look at her, and she received identical winks from Fred and George before their attention returned to the interview at hand.

"When can we expect the premier of the Wonder Witch Junior line of cosmetics and love potions?" Lydia asked as her quill relentlessly scratched along a piece of parchment.

"By the end of the summer, in time for back to school shopping," Fred answered.

"It's our duty to the professors of Hogwarts to ensure that the new love potions and daydream charms make it onto the Hogwarts Express!" George added with a laugh.

Lydia smiled her catlike grin. "And one more question. I owe it to all of the female readers to ask whether the two of you are still eligible bachelors," she said coyly.

Hermione rolled her eyes from her location just inside the door. She _owed_ it to them? Wait, just how eligible _was_ Fred?

George burst into laughter. "Taken! Happily married since March," he said, pointing to his wedding ring. "But off the record, Alicia isn't really the jealous type, so would it bring in more business if I lied?" he asked, only half joking.

"George!" Fred scolded, punching his brother in the arm and rolling his eyes. Hermione stifled her laughter, earning another wink from Fred.

Lydia chuckled. "I'll go ahead and omit that last bit later," she said, nodding toward the quill that hadn't paused. "And Fred? Still available?"

He cleared his throat slightly uncomfortably, chancing a look at Hermione before he answered. "I'm working on becoming unavailable," he stated with a smile.

Lydia took a look over her shoulder to see a blush rising on the younger woman's cheeks. "Sounds like there may be follow-up article on the horizon," she noted. "But the readers aren't going to like that answer one bit," Lydia warned with a laugh as she packed up her quill and parchment.

Hermione felt her insides turn to fluff as she grinned uncontrollably.

"I'll be in touch soon to schedule our next meeting. Now I need to be on my way to polish up this article for tomorrow's edition." She stood and kissed each twin on the cheek before, turning toward Hermione's location near the exit. George led Lydia toward the front of the shop, leaving Hermione alone with Fred.

"Hey gorgeous," Fred drawled, closing the distance between them and pulling her into a kiss.

Hermione giggled. "You're in a good mood today," she remarked.

"I get to see you, don't I?" he asked sweetly, earning a raised eyebrow and a smirk. "Oh come on, give me a chance!"

"Hey now handsome, I was lured here with the promise of lunch. Pay up," she demanded playfully.

"You only want me for my lunches," he grumbled as they made their way outside the shop.

"And you only want me for my knickers!" she joked back.

"Not true, and you know it," he promised, his sapphire blue eyes sparkling. "Now hold on tight, we're going on an adventure." He took Hermione by the hand, and before she could object, they apparated away.

* * *

_I'm guilty once more of leaving you too long without an update... Please forgive me and leave a review! And thanks to everyone who has been reading and reviewing in my absence :)_


	9. Chapter 9

_Craving Curves by WeasleyForMe_

_Fred is surprised to find how much Hermione has grown up since her days as the Gryffindor bookworm. He's even more surprised by how much he wants her. Hermione/Fred rated M.  
_

_Birthday Story for Preetoaka Raven Potter Weasley! Happy Birthday! Thanks to Clover Bay for beta reading this story!_

* * *

An instant later, Hermione's feet came into contact with unstable, squishy ground. She screamed and tried to take a step, but ended up tripping over Fred's feet.

"Stop squirming!" Fred warned, trying to hold onto Hermione as she flailed about. But, it was no use. Hermione landed on the ground with Fred nose-to-nose on top of her.

She gasped for air, startled by the texture of sand beneath her and the weight of Fred pressing her down. "Where are we?" she squeaked.

"Norfolk," he stated matter-of-factly.

"Norfolk?" she questioned, very confused.

Fred's bright eyes smiled down at her as he propped himself up with his elbows in the sand on either side of her. "I just thought it would be nice for us to get out of London for a picnic." He pushed a curl away from her face and couldn't help but laugh as she looked about wildly beneath him.

"Wait, are we on a beach?" Hermione turned her head to the side to see that they were in fact at the seashore. The colour of the overcast sky joined almost seamlessly with the water, and the sound of gulls floated through the salty air along the empty stretch of sand.

"Can't get anything past you, can I?" Fred asked quite sarcastically with a grin. Hermione smacked his shoulder with as much strength as she could muster from her position beneath him.

"Well if you weren't lying on top of me, maybe I'd be able to actually see something!" she complained, trying in vain to push him off of her.

He could still detect a playful glint in her eyes. "What's the matter, love?" Fred asked, playfully, refusing to budge.

"The matter is that you're heavy and squishing me, and you're being-"

Hermione's rant was completely cut off as Fred's lips met hers. He kissed her sweetly as his fingers flowed through her sandy hair. The feel of her warm, curvy body beneath him was enough to drive him mad.

"What am I being?" Fred asked softly, releasing her lips in favor of skimming kisses along her neck.

"You're, you're being… being really…." She had to suppress the urge to groan as he teased her.

"Yes?"

"Being really sexy," she managed as he nipped at the spot just below her right ear.

Fred chuckled, and the sound made her realize what she had just told him, causing her to blush. "Now, where's my lunch?" she demanded, trying to change the subject.

With a wink, Fred finally rolled off of her and deftly pulled her to her feet. "That's what I like to hear," he said jovially, helping her brush the sand from her work outfit.

"You still look lovely, even covered in sand," Fred assured her, taking her by the hand.

Hermione smiled up at him, but as she took one step her stiletto heels sunk into the damp sand, halting all motion. She faltered and grabbed onto Fred.

"Not again!" she groaned, trying to catch her balance as Fred laughed. He instantly scooped her up easily into his arms. "Fred!" she screeched as he carried her across the sand toward a cluster of wind-worn rocks. "Put me down!"

"Why?"

"Because I'm heavy!"

"Even in your wildest dreams, you couldn't possibly be classified as heavy," he informed her. She decided to just relax into his firm grasp instead of struggling across the sand.

"I hope you're hungry," he told her, setting her down next to a picnic basket she hadn't noticed before.

"Famished," she assured him as he opened the basket and pulled out a thick quilt that he threw on top of the rocks.

They sat down and Fred reached into the basket removing several platters of food. After his forearm and elbow completely vanished into the basket, Hermione gasped.

"You're using my charm!" she exclaimed excitedly. "That's the charm I use to make my bags larger!"

Fred just winked at her and pulled out a plate of sweets, setting them on the rock next to him.

"How did you know about it?" she asked him, finally feeling as though she must be the one whose eyes were burning into his skin.

"You told us," Fred responded evenly as he unwrapped cucumber sandwiches. "After the war."

"Wait, you're trying to tell me you and George actually listened to something I said?"

Fred chuckled. "Well I can't speak for George, but I certainly listened."

"Why?" she asked, still struggling to understand why he would have had any interest in something that eighteen year old Hermione would have told him.

"Because, Hermione, I find you inspiring," he told her as he took a bite out of a sandwich. "Would you like one?" He tried to hand her a sandwich but she started laughing.

"You find me inspiring? Are you feeling well, Fred?" she asked, quite amused.

"Feeling great," he promised. "I'm having lunch with a beautiful, amazing woman at the beach, although it looks like it's going to rain," he remarked.

"You're being silly!" Hermione said with a laugh, hitting him playfully on the arm.

Fred caught her wrist and pulled her closer to him. "No I'm not. Come on Hermione, you know I like you. Where do you think the idea of the Gravity Gumdrops came from? You make me feel like I could simply lift off of the ground."

Hermione kissed him so hard, he started to wish he'd told her this information sooner. But, timing was everything if he wanted to make this woman his. "Hermione," he murmured against her lips, and once again her worn out name sounded brand new to her ears. "Love, it's going to rain," he whispered as she released his lips.

Fred pulled her into his lap while they ate their lunch and the collection of sweets he had made. The shore provided the most perfectly secluded background for their cozy lunch. "I'll bring you back again on a warmer day before the end of the summer. I'm just dying to see you in a tiny bikini," he said merrily, taking a large bite out of his treacle tart.

Hermione snorted. "Never in your wildest dreams will you ever see me in a bikini," she promised.

"Actually, in my wildest dreams, I already _have_ you in a bikini."

Hermione turned in his lap to face him. "Fred Weasley!" she exclaimed, blushing a deep pink across her nose and cheeks. Of course, she was completely guilty of her own set of fantasies about Fred, but that was beside the point.

"What? You looked great in my mind, and it's really an injustice to mankind that you're not wearing one right now," he insisted.

Just as Hermione was about to protest, a heavy raindrop hit the end of her nose, making her sputter. Then a rumble of thunder introduced a downpour that left her and Fred scrambling to put everything back in the picnic basket.

"Take my hand!" Fred yelled over the storm. Hermione took one last look out at the water before grasping his hand, and they apparated back to the crowds of Diagon Alley.

Earning strange looks from several passersby, Hermione released Fred's hand and started to laugh. "We look ridiculous!" There they stood in the middle of magical London, soaking wet during a very dry day.

"Perhaps we do, but I hope you still had a good time." Fred pulled out his wand and dried them both off, and then he brushed the sand from her blouse, his hands trailing low at her waist. "Oops, I thought that was your back," he insisted when she glared at him.

"Anyway, now that you've taken me out twice, it's my turn," she said, starting to feel nervous. "Would you like to come over to my place Saturday evening for dinner?"

Fred rubbed his chin and pretended to have a difficult time deciding. "Gee Hermione, I think I may have to wash my hair on Saturday night, but I guess I could always move that to Friday."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "What if I told you I would make anything you wanted for dinner?"

"Steak and kidney pie?" Fred asked excitedly.

"Sure," Hermione agreed with a smile.

"I'll be there whenever you want me!" Fred reached for her hand and kissed her knuckles.

"Oh Merlin! Is that the time?" Hermione exclaimed, seeing the clock tower over the owlery. "Bye Fred! Thank you!" she called as she ran up Diagon Alley toward the bank in her high heels.

Fred watched her until she was out of sight.

* * *

_I really hope you enjoyed this chapter. Thanks for reading! Please review! _


	10. Chapter 10

_Craving Curves by WeasleyForMe_

_Fred is surprised to find how much Hermione has grown up since her days as the Gryffindor bookworm. He's even more surprised by how much he wants her. Hermione/Fred rated M.  
_

_Birthday Story for Preetoaka Raven Potter Weasley! Happy Birthday! Thanks to Clover Bay for beta reading this story!_

* * *

"Well, how was lunch?" George asked when Fred returned to work.

He looked around quickly. "Is there anyone here?"

"Nope, the lunch crowd just emptied out," George confirmed. Fred jumped up onto the counter and lay down next to the cash register.

"She's amazing. Seriously, George. And it's more than just the fact that I spent half the date imagining her in a bikini. I can actually _talk_ to her. And, she invited me over for dinner Saturday night," Fred finished dreamily, swinging his leg over the side of the counter.

"Hmm, dinner, her place, alone? Sounds promising, Fred."

"I know. I just hope I don't royally mess this up."

* * *

"Hermione!" Ginny called through the floo connection. "Are you there?"

Hermione was just getting out of the shower on Friday evening, ready to relax at her flat for the evening when she heard her friend's voice.

"Hang on, Gin!" she called as she wrapped a towel around herself and dashed down the hallway, dripping water behind her as she went. "What's up?" she asked once she reached the fireplace.

"You owe me dinner," Ginny's face stated through the fire.

"Pardon?"

"Don't act like you can't remember making me leave Peggy's Porridge Pot in the middle of brunch last Saturday! You promised me dinner."

"I didn't make you leave! You dragged _me_ out and turned me into an overgrown paper doll!" Hermione insisted.

"Well, regardless, let's go out for dinner tomorrow."

Hermione tried to provide a very vague response. "Can't. I have plans."

Ginny sighed. "Fine, then I'll just come over now and raid your kitchen."

Before she could respond, Hermione had to back away from the fireplace as her friend appeared through the green flames and stepped into her apartment.

"Gin, I'm in a towel!" Hermione protested.

"That's fine, I'll just whip up a snack for us while you change." Ginny marched into the kitchen and started to rummage around.

Hermione rolled her eyes and changed into her pyjamas. So much for a night of relaxing. As she made her way back to the kitchen, her stomach started to growl.

"What plans do you have tomorrow? And why do you have a stack of cookbooks out on the counter?" Ginny asked as she sliced up some cheeses and layered them on crackers.

"Well, if you must know," Hermione said, popping some cheese into her mouth, "I'm having Fred over for dinner."

"Why aren't you keeping me informed about these things?" Ginny squealed.

"I just did!"

"But if I hadn't stopped over, you wouldn't have told me! What are you going to cook for dinner?"

Hermione chuckled, remembering their lunch date. "Steak and kidney pie."

"Figures, it's his favourite. He always asks Mum to make it for him."

"Oh, that's terrible! I can't cook as well as Molly!" Hermione suddenly felt panicked. Fred was going to compare the two dishes and hers would surely fall very short.

Ginny shook her head dismissively. "Fred and George will eat anything. You have nothing to worry about. So, are you going to invite him to stay over?"

Hermione blushed, visibly acknowledging that she had been spending the last day considering just that. "Well, I haven't decided…. I'm a little nervous about it actually…."

"Listen Hermione, it's obvious that you care about Fred, and from what I can tell, he cares for you too. It's going to happen sometime, and even I have to admit that you could do a lot worse than Fred." Ginny grimaced at the thought of her brother being intimate with anyone. "Now why don't we just relax for the evening, and you can let tomorrow happen when the time comes."

An hour later Ginny and Hermione were enjoying a bottle of wine and painting their toenails. "Red or pink?" Hermione asked holding up two bottles of nail polish.

Ginny tossed her a bottle of blue polish. "Walk on the wild side, Hermione!"

The pair finished their snack, and once Ginny had picked out Hermione's outfit for the following evening, she headed home.

"Don't forget to pre-bake the pie crust. And, remember what I told you about just letting it happen with Fred," Ginny added as she headed toward the floo. "And, your nails look really great!"

Hermione wiggled her toes as her friend disappeared.

* * *

Fred couldn't believe he had agreed to work all day on Saturday before going to Hermione's for dinner, but it was a good thing he had. The store had been packed all day long.

"Fred can you grab some more Puking Pastilles while you're in the back? We just got an order for two dozen," George called as he waited on a customer.

Fred rummaged around wildly. Every time he thought he'd gathered everything they needed from storage, his twin called out something else they needed. He headed back to the front of the shop carrying several items, extremely happy that they were expanding the store.

"There's barely enough room for me to stand back there, let alone actually find anything!" he snarled to George as he started to pack up the pastilles for a customer. The twins worked as a one, wrapping up Canary Creams, recommending fireworks and helping a little girl pick out a purple pygmy puff.

"What a busy day! Why did we let Verity take a vacation?" Fred asked once the last customer was leaving.

"If we weren't so damn likable, maybe we wouldn't have so many returning customers," George said, feigning annoyance. "Blasted golden personalities," he added, shaking his head as he locked the front door and turned the sign.

"I'm going to be so late unless I leave now," Fred said, worried about ruining Hermione's dinner. He was quickly packing up a box of chocolates to give to Hermione as George tried to shoo him away.

"Get going then. Have a good night," George responded with a wink.

Fred sprinted up the stairs, took a record setting speedy shower, and quickly changed into the outfit he had asked Alicia to pick out for him. After fretting about how messy his hair looked and wishing he had taken the time to get a haircut, he apparated to Hermione's door and knocked.

"He's here!" Hermione gasped as she pulled the pie out of the oven. "Coming!" she called in the general direction of her front door. She quickly slipped on her high heels and tried not to trip over her own feet. "Oh goodness, what am I doing?" She tossed the potholders she had still been wearing back into the kitchen and took a deep breath before opening the door.

"Wow," they both said softly when they say each other.

* * *

_Thank you so much for reading! I hope you'll leave a review. I think you will find the next chapter enjoyable :)_


	11. Chapter 11

_Craving Curves by WeasleyForMe_

_Fred is surprised to find how much Hermione has grown up since her days as the Gryffindor bookworm. He's even more surprised by how much he wants her. Hermione/Fred rated M.  
_

_Birthday Story for Preetoaka Raven Potter Weasley! Happy Birthday! Thanks to Clover Bay for beta reading this story!_

* * *

Hermione stood transfixed in her doorway admiring the way Fred's long hair fell across his forehead, almost covering his sapphire eyes. He shook it to the side with a grin.

"You look very nice," he told her, eyeing the purple dress which fell just above her knees. She watched as his gaze rose upward, passing slowly over the spot where the dress was cinched at her waist and up over her chest.

His assessment of her body and the tone of his voice made Hermione feel like the prey to his predator.

Fred chuckled when he saw her bright blue toenails at the end of her open-toed high heels. "Very nice indeed, but you didn't need to get so dressed up."

"Oh thanks," Hermione replied, hastily adding, "I wear dresses all the time. When I'm at home. Every day." She looked startled at the words that were coming out of her mouth. "Would you like to come in?" she managed to ask before her brain had time to construct another comment about wearing a clown suit to work every day to work, or some such nonsense.

Fred gave her a funny look and slipped past her into a modest apartment with some very 'Hermione' touches. Every wall in the living room was lined with built-in bookshelves, save for a small window with a view of the street and a fireplace. The small kitchen appeared to be filled with a mixture of muggle and magical appliances with a small dining table off to the side. She had set the table with deep purple flowers, the same shade as her dress.

"This is my place. Nothing fancy, but it's home."

"It's nice. Much cleaner than mine. And very 'Hermione'," he told her softly before placing a kiss on her cheek.

Hermione's eyes briefly fluttered closed as her heart leapt.

"These are for you," he added with a smile, handing her an orange box with Weasley's Wizard Wheezes embossed on the side. She opened it to reveal several rows of chocolates.

She examined the sweets and smirked at him. "Planning to turn me into a canary after dinner?"

Fred laughed. "I plan on doing several things with you after dinner, but turning you into a canary is not one of them," he said pointedly, causing Hermione to blush. "These chocolates don't contain any surprises, I promise."

After eyeing him for a moment, she decided to believe him. This new, mature Fred was really throwing her off. "Well, dinner is ready if you're hungry."

"I'm starving!" Fred said jovially, inhaling the wonderful scent of dinner.

Within minutes, Fred was having a bite of steak and kidney pie. "I swear," he managed between bites, "this is just like mum's!" Hermione was so flattered she finally let herself relax and poured two glasses of wine.

They eased into conversation about work. "You should have seen the way the goblins were looking at me on Thursday afternoon! I was tracking sand all throughout Gringotts everywhere I went! But, the trip to the beach was so much fun."

"I'm glad you enjoyed it. I personally had so much sand left on me, some of the customers thought we were making enchanted sandboxes. Hey, speaking of the beach, when are you going to wear your bikini for me?" Fred asked innocently as he finished the last bite of dinner.

"I don't even _have_ a bikini, Fred!"

"Great, so I'll go pick one out for you in any colour I like and you can try it on for me, yeah?"

"You are being silly," she told him as she finished her glass of wine and poured another.

"Maybe so, but don't go thinking that topic of conversation is finished yet," he insisted, his eyes burning into her as they always seemed to.

She smiled back at him, the wine finally starting to warm her up.

"Knowing you, I'm sure it will be brought back up more than once between now and when you get that bikini for me to try on," she snickered. "But in the meantime, how about some of those chocolates? Chocolates go great with wine."

"And wine and chocolates go great with sitting with me in front of the fire," Fred said, guiding Hermione toward the couch.

They sat down and Hermione removed one of the chocolates from the box. "Looks tasty," she murmured, but before she could take a nibble, Fred snatched it out of her fingers with his mouth. "Hey!"

With a wink, Fred pulled another one out of the box. "It will taste better if I feed it to you," he promised, guiding it toward her lips. She giggled and allowed him to feed it to her.

"Mmm, Fred, oh my goodness! This tastes delicious," she practically moaned as she ate the candy. "It's so fudgy and rich."

Fred pulled another chocolate from the box, quite pleased by her reaction. "I would have been feeding these to you for years if I knew it would make you moan my name," he told her as he popped another into her mouth.

Hermione laughed and curled up right at his side, enjoying the complex flavours as Fred helped himself to another candy as well. After the third time Fred fed her a chocolate, Hermione closed her eyes, and she felt his lips meet hers. Fred teased her with soft yet persistent kisses, and gently played with her hair. He ran his hand along her bare arm until reaching her hand, and then he pulled her onto his lap.

The sensation of Fred's hair tickling her face made her sigh, and Fred took advantage of the opportunity to pull her closer against him. Her dress had become bunched up, and he teased her exposed thighs with warm fingers. Hermione felt his tongue sneak into her mouth, and a guttural groan escaped his throat as she slid higher on legs; this was perhaps her point of no return.

Their kisses became more intense. Hermione's nose bumped along the side of his as they each drew a ragged breath. Once their lips clashed again, she found herself naturally swivel her hips against his. Suddenly it occurred to her that the only things between the two of them were Fred's pair of trousers and her lacy knickers. She pulled her lips away from his.

"Fred," she managed to gasp as she caught her breath.

"Hermione?" he questioned, clearly wondering what he had done wrong.

She sucked in a breath and brushed her hair away from her face. "There's something I need to tell you."

Fred tried to pay attention to her words, but his left eye had begun to twitch, and his stomach turned uncomfortably. He ran a hand along his temple which had started to throb. "Yes?" he managed to ask through the pain.

Hermione suddenly had to close her eyes tightly as a shooting pain surged in her forehead. "Oh, my head hurts," she groaned as she started to see stars.

"Excuse me," Fred grunted as he practically threw Hermione from his lap and bolted toward the bathroom. He barely made it before he was sick to his stomach.

Hermione staggered to the kitchen where she splashed some water on her face, easing the pain for a moment. Then the pain worsened and she started to crawl to the bathroom. "Fred, make way," she called as she was halfway down the hall.

Suddenly it dawned on Fred. "Oh shit! Chocolate covered migraines!" He should have taken an extra minute to make sure he packed up the correct candies.

* * *

_Oops... Fred should be more carefu__l! They were getting so close! I hope you enjoyed the quick update! Thanks for reading, and don't forget to review. _


	12. Chapter 12

_Craving Curves by WeasleyForMe_

_Fred is surprised to find how much Hermione has grown up since her days as the Gryffindor bookworm. He's even more surprised by how much he wants her. Hermione/Fred rated M.  
_

_Birthday Story for Preetoaka Raven Potter Weasley! Happy Birthday! Thanks to Clover Bay for beta reading this story!_

* * *

On Sunday morning, as the sun rose over the tallest buildings in London, Hermione rolled over and tried to cover herself with the quilt she always had on her bed. She groaned as her tender forehead came into contact with something hard and cold. She released her quilt and sat up.

"Why is the room still moving?" her quilt asked in a strained voice.

Hermione gasped. Instead of her quilt, she had been trying to pull Fred across her torso to keep warm as they had been sleeping on the cold tiles of her bathroom floor.

In the muted light that was creeping into the room, Hermione saw him roll over and hit his head on the ceramic bowl of the toilet. "What the bugger," he muttered, clutching his sensitive head. "Hermione? Are you still here?" he groaned, trying to sit up.

"I'm right here," she managed, finally finding her voice.

Fred jumped a little at the knowledge that she was a mere six inches away. He squinted in the darkness. "Are you all right?" he asked, his voice taking on a pleading note. "I'm such a wanker. I promised you the chocolates were perfectly safe to eat, but I accidentally added chocolate covered migraines to the box."

"That explains a lot," she muttered. "I would have preferred being turned into a canary."

"I'm so sorry! I hope you can forgive me," he whispered, pulling Hermione against him and deftly picking her up. "Where's your bedroom?"

"Down the hall on the left," she told him as he carried her gently to her bed. With a bit of wandless magic, Hermione made sure her breath was fresh. Migraine or not, she didn't want Fred to be deterred from kissing her. She was starting to feel much better now, and her tummy gave a little twitch of nervousness as Fred held her possessively next to her bed.

"I thought we would make it here sooner," he said with a wink, setting her in bed and climbing in after her.

"Chocolate covered migraines, huh?" she asked as she shimmied down under her quilt a bit awkwardly, still in her purple dress. "Worked like a charm. You and George will make a fortune."

Fred snorted. "Worked a little too well if you ask me."

"Still, the magic behind your products is quite fascinating," she said, boldly snuggling up along Fred's long, lean body.

"You're fascinating," he insisted, kissing her sweetly and smoothing her wrinkled dress along her curves. Hermione returned his kiss as he fingers came to rest at the small of her back. He released her lips and whispered, "I'm sorry I ruined our date. Promise you'll let me make it up to you."

"I would like that," she squeaked as his lips made contact with her neck, flooding her with the gleeful feeling she had come to associated only with Fred.

Fred nipped her under the chin. "I won't let you down again."

Reveling in the feeling of Fred holding her tightly, Hermione relaxed against his chest.

Fred snuggled her, admiring the coziness of her bedroom as the sun drifted higher in the sky. They quietly shared their thoughts and ideas with one another.

"Tell me more about your plans for the shop," Hermione said, stifling a yawn.

Fred smirked. "Well, George and I are hoping to increase our profit with several new product lines. He and Alicia are already talking about all the babies they want to have, so he's going to need money to remodel the nursery. And, eventually I'd like to move out of the flat above the store, maybe buy a cottage away from the city."

"Mmm, that sounds lovely," Hermione murmured, envisioning a stone cottage surrounded by an orchard and a garden path. She easily pictured herself sitting on the porch next to Fred as the sun set behind the little country home.

Hermione chewed her lower lip nervously, glad Fred was unable to see her thoughts.

"Of course that's still a few years down the road," Fred added. "First, George and I will have to pay back some of our loan, and you and I will surely be married by then, and you can help me decide if Dorset or Suffolk is a better location for our cottage." Fred grinned, loving how easy is was to tease Hermione, but this fantasy wasn't too far off from what he hoped could be a reality.

Hermione tipped her face to glare up at Fred in spite of the pink colour tinting her cheeks. "Ha, ha," she said sarcastically, ignoring the butterflies taking up residence in her tummy.

"You never know," Fred assured her with a wink, and then they both yawned. "What time is it? He asked realizing they had been wrapped up in her bed talking for awhile.

She rolled over and read her alarm clock. "Just past ten."

"Oh! I'd better get going before I'm late," he said rolling out of bed and stretching. "We have another interview with Lydia Tafferton for tomorrow's early edition, and then I'm working all afternoon."

As she started to get out of bed, Fred gently pushed her back down. "You just relax on your day off, Princess." His sapphire eyes burned her with a hungry look. "I think you should stay in bed thinking about me for awhile longer," he assured her with a wink. Hermione had no time to object as his lips met hers. She was ready to pull him back to bed just as he released her and strode from her bedroom.

When she heard him floo away, she sighed and sunk into an indecent daydream about she and Fred on the stone porch of an imaginary cottage.

* * *

Fred arrived in his flat, and after taking a few minutes to change clothes, he went down to the shop. George was sitting behind the counter, sipping coffee and reading _The Daily Prophet_, awaiting the arrival of Fred and Lydia.

"How was the big night, Casanova?" he asked as Fred poured himself s mug of coffee as well.

"Not great," he informed his twin, earning a worried look. "But, on the plus side, the chocolate covered migraines have been tested, and they work like a charm."

George's eyes grew wide. "What did you do?"

* * *

_Thank you for reading! I hope you'll leave a review :)_


	13. Chapter 13

_Craving Curves by WeasleyForMe_

_Fred is surprised to find how much Hermione has grown up since her days as the Gryffindor bookworm. He's even more surprised by how much he wants her. Hermione/Fred rated M.  
_

_Birthday Story for Preetoaka Raven Potter Weasley! Happy Birthday! Thanks to Clover Bay for beta reading this story!_

* * *

Fred shook his head sadly, recounting his date gone wrong. "Can you believe I actually fed her untested candies? I'm such an idiot, George! I'm surprised she's even talking to me now." He looked forlornly into his mug of coffee, vividly remembering Hermione's responses as he fed the chocolates to her.

Just as George reached out to comfort his twin, Fred started to laugh. "But, she_ is_ still talking to me!" he said with a chuckle. "Either she's half barmy or she's wild about me!" Fred downed the coffee in one motion and then smiled at his twin.

George had to laugh as well. "I think it's safe to say she is the latter of those two. And, I still maintain she's way too smart for you." Fred playfully swung at George who then caught him by the shoulders.

They were still wrestling when the bell chimed, alerting them that Lydia Tafferton had arrived and their day had officially begun.

* * *

After a very relaxing Sunday at home, Hermione was well rested and ready for work by six o'clock on Monday. She folded the early edition of _The Daily Prophet_ and tucked it into her briefcase. She made her way resolutely through the rainy London morning, hoping to get a few extra hours of work in at the bank.

After settling into her desk with a cup of tea, Hermione penned a quick note to Ginny. Her friend, who seemed to have forgotten her initial reluctance about Hermione dating Fred, had sent no fewer than three owls the previous day asking about Hermione's weekend. Now Ginny would have no doubt that Hermione was officially a sexual failure.

Hermione groaned loudly. What was wrong with her? She wanted Fred. He wanted her. They had come so close. She was nearly certain he wanted to take her to bed. She was completely certain she wanted him to!

She quickly folded up the note and sent it off to Ginny without another thought about it.

"Bloody chocolate covered migraines," she muttered as she removed the newspaper from her bag. "Ought to buy stock in the stupid things, they work so well…."

And there they were, smiling up at her from the third page of _The Daily Prophet_. Fred and George wore identical grins as they stood behind the highly polished counter at Weasley's Wizard Wheezes. Fred winked at her from the page, and Hermione felt her cheeks growing warm.

"You're reactions to him are ridiculous," she admonished out loud as she started to read the article.

"_Back to School" by Lydia Tafferton_

_Back to school shopping is just around the corner, and Weasley's Wizard Wheezes will be the first stop on every child's list. Before they board the Hogwarts Express, they will want to have the newest and best products packed in their trunks. Fred and George Weasley will be unveiling the new Wonder Witch Junior Products in mid August just in time to ensure every teenage witch in England will want to visit their shop. _

_And, all of the pranksters will love the newest addition to their line of sweets: chocolate covered migraines. Fred Weasley and an unidentified "friend" finished testing this product just hours ago. "They work like a dream. Guaranteed to help you miss at least one full day of class!" _

_Inquiring minds will want to know more about what is going on with two of London's most eligible business owners. So who is this "friend" of Fred Weasley's? Apparently she is one of the city's top businesswomen and one of the smartest graduates of Hogwarts School in recent memory. "And she's gorgeous," Fred said. It is obvious he is rather taken with this mystery woman!_

_As always, any news on these exciting topics will be found here first! Don't forget to turn to page twelve for a coupon for 20% off of your next Wonder Witch Junior purchase._

Hermione's cheeks were on fire. She glanced around to be sure nobody had witnessed her joint jubilation and terror. Was it Fred's goal to advertise to the whole city that she was his girl? Did she mind?

She wasn't sure how long she had been staring longingly at the photograph of Fred when the mail clerk interrupted her, causing her to jump in her seat.

"This arrived by owl for you, Ms. Granger," he said, handing her a neon blue envelope, clearly from Ginny.

She scanned the note and rolled her eyes.

_Hermione, you're not inept, just challenged! By the way, have you read the paper? Fred completely exposed you both with his 'smartest graduate of Hogwarts' comment! He should be smacked. You should smack him. And I don't mean the kind of smack he would like! I'm making myself sick, ugh._

_Love, Ginny_

Hermione crumbled up the note from Ginny and tossed it in the bin. She looked once more at the moving picture of Fred and George. "I've been going about this the wrong way," she told them.

* * *

As the afternoon slowly ticked away, Hermione cleaned out her inbox, prepared herself for a quarterly meeting, briefed her coworkers on a new policy, and balanced her own checkbook. She was too efficient. She couldn't sit here for another minute without seeing Fred.

Deciding she had been at work long enough for one day, she crept down the back hallway and out into the rain. Happily dashing from one storefront awning to another narrow overhang, Hermione didn't even worry about her frizzing curls. She slipped into the door of her destination and was immediately greeted by George.

"Hermione, my little peach! How are you?" he asked kissing her hand.

"I'm fine, George. Is Fred around?" she asked, looking past the counter to see the progress on the store expansion project. There were a few workers measuring out new door frames and adding a flight of stairs.

"I knew you weren't here to see me," he said with a pout. "Fred's in the back testing a product, but I'm not sure if you want to go back there."

Hermione's eyes grew wide. "Not the migraines again!" she groaned, starting to walk toward the twins' laboratory space in a panic.

* * *

_A big thank you to Clover Bay for helping with this chapter! I hope you enjoyed it enough to leave a review!_


	14. Chapter 14

_Craving Curves by WeasleyForMe_

_Fred is surprised to find how much Hermione has grown up since her days as the Gryffindor bookworm. He's even more surprised by how much he wants her. Hermione/Fred rated M.  
_

_Birthday Story for Preetoaka Raven Potter Weasley! Happy Birthday! Thanks to Clover Bay for beta reading this story!_

* * *

Hermione opened the door and was immediately met with Fred's hysterical laughter. He was hovering about eight inches off the floor, cackling at absolutely nothing in particular. He was staring far off into the nonexistent distance.

George came to stand directly behind her. "George, what's happened to him?" she asked, alarm rising in her voice.

Fred started to float a bit higher, and the pitch of his laughter went up as well.

"The technical support team is aware of the issue, and we are working diligently to solve the problem," he replied calmly, scribbling on a clipboard.

Hermione turned and glared up at him. "It happens sometimes when we test new products," he added helplessly, hoping to calm Hermione's nerves.

"Oh! Look everyone! It's George and Hermione! My absolute favourite two people ever!" Fred exclaimed jovially, trying to walk through the air but unable to get closer to them. He finally gave up and challenged himself to a staring contest. An argument ensued when he claimed that he had been cheating.

George slowly pulled the door shut, and Fred's laughter faded away a bit. "Sometimes it can be worse than others. When I tested a batch of candies last year, I lost my hair and couldn't look at Alicia without crying," George explained, earning a horrified look from Hermione. "But don't worry, this was just the first batch of Gravity Gumdrops. It seems as though we didn't get the potion formula just right. I mean, the gravity part looks promising, but there appears to be some… side effects."

"You think?"

The few customers who were looking around the shop seemed concerned by Hermione's outburst.

"Maybe we should take him to St. Mungos?" she asked. "How long does this typically last?"

"Could be a few hours, could be a few days," he said casually, and Hermione blanched.

"Days?" she was suddenly grateful that their migraines had gone away overnight.

"Try not to worry about it. This happens all the time," George assured her. "Now, I'll take care of everything and send you an update on Fred tomorrow."

Hermione left the store and headed home, not caring to try to hide from the heavy raindrops. She would just have to start her new plan without seeing Fred.

* * *

Hermione's positive attitude lasted for a few hours before she ate a tub of ice cream and moped on the sofa missing Fred. Tuesday was no better; George had sent an owl to Gringotts letting her know that Fred's laughter was becoming less maniacal, and the he was asking about her. She went home and went right to bed, hoping for even better news on Wednesday.

She still hadn't heard anything by the time she left work. But as soon as she arrived at her flat via floo, there was a knock at her door.

"Coming!" she called as she set her bag down and dashed to the door. As soon as she had it open, she was in Fred's arms being spun around.

"Miss me?" he asked kissing her cheek. "Because I surely missed you."

Hermione wrapped her arms around him. "Fred! I was worried about you! I thought you'd gone mad, and that I would be visiting you in the bed next to Professor Lockhart at St. Mungos!" She felt like happiness was bubbling through her at the sight of him.

"I don't know what happened, but I blame George. He was always utter shit at Potions," Fred told her, pulling her into the living room. He flopped theatrically down onto her sofa. "I didn't know if I was going to make it," he gushed, feigning dramatics. "The only thing I could think about was seeing my precious Hermione just one more time before I faded away." He let his head drop back onto the pillow.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "As much as I would like to believe that you were on your last thread, I don't buy it. George told me this happens all the time when you two test things!"

Fred's head popped up. "Oh, did he? Well, never mind then. I still missed you though," he said with a wink.

Hermione reached down and pulled him off the sofa. She kissed him hard, and Fred possessively wrapped his arms around her.

"I missed you too," she assured him. "But you need to leave."

"I just got here," he reminded her, trying to lead her back onto the sofa.

"You're sister is coming over for pizza and girl time," she said, leading him back toward the door.

Fred pouted and leaned against the doorframe. "Come over on Friday after work. I'll make something delicious for dinner. Or, you know, I could pick up something delicious, because I've never ever used my kitchen before," he corrected with smile.

Knowing she didn't stand a chance at saying no, she agreed. Fred disapparated, and not a minute later, Ginny was at the door holding a large pizza.

"Well you _don't_ have to look so annoyed, and you can ask me in, you know," she said as she went past Hermione into the small kitchen.

Hermione chuckled. "Fred literally _just_ left, and I haven't had a minute to sit down yet since I got home from work."

Ginny passed Hermione a slice of pizza and guided her toward one of the plush armchairs. "Sit, relax, and tell me about your week so far."

Hermione alternated between eating pizza and retelling the events of work.

"But what about Fred?" Ginny asked, finishing the last slice.

Hermione's expression took on a calculating appearance. "You know, I'm tired of feeling so stressed about being intimate with him. I have been trying to make myself appealing to him, but from now on, I'm going to do this the way I want."

Ginny gave her a suspicious look. "What has brought about this new approach? I thought the sexy outfits were working rather well!"

Hermione chewed her lower lip. "For the first time, I think I have the poor sap right where I want him," Hermione said with a laugh, remembering her thoughts about Fred and their future cottage. "No more tight dresses, no more trying too hard. I don't want to trick him into spending just one night with me!"

"No more planning and anticipation?"

"Nope, just going with the flow. And definitely no more migraines!" Hermione confirmed, sharing the entire disastrous story of the previous weekend with her friend.

* * *

_The next chapter will have more Fred and Hermione time, I promise. Thanks to Clover Bay for beta reading! Please review!_


	15. Chapter 15

_Craving Curves by WeasleyForMe_

_Fred is surprised to find how much Hermione has grown up since her days as the Gryffindor bookworm. He's even more surprised by how much he wants her. Hermione/Fred rated M.  
_

_Birthday Story for Preetoaka Raven Potter Weasley! Happy Birthday! Thanks to Clover Bay for beta reading this story!_

* * *

"Perfect!" Hermione told her reflection as she replaced the cap on her lip gloss. After arriving home from work, she decided to dismiss the urge to smooth her hair and just let it curl down her back. Instead of a dress, she chose jeans and a tee shirt. Instead of worrying about the evening, she sang along with the Weird Sisters on the wireless.

She slipped her shoes on and picked up her bag. She had used her beaded bag with the extension charm to pack for what she hoped would be an overnight visit to Fred's flat.

Deciding that the late summer evening was just too lovely to miss out on, Hermione chose to walk through the city. Diagon Alley was full of shoppers flitting in and out of the brightly lit stores. The sounds of laughter and conversation were coating her senses.

When Weasley's Wizard Wheezes came into view, her pulse quickened, and the impulse to run took over. But did she want to run back home or toward Fred? She thought about his sapphire eyes, they way they made her feel exposed. Even when he joked with her, it made her vulnerable; never unwanted, just bare.

Did he frighten her or enthrall her? She knew he definitely did both of those. So where would she run?

George looked up from the showcase full of candies as Hermione rushed into the store. "Why are you in such a hurry?" he asked her skeptically. "You can't possibly be this anxious to see Fred, so you must be rushing in to see me, right?" George winked and offered her a Canary Cream.

Hermione smiled brightly at him. "I'm always happy to see you, but um, no thanks to the candy. I've had bad luck recently with your products."

George laughed and slipped the chocolate onto one of the trays.

"Is Fred around?" Hermione asked.

"Yup. He left his key down here," he replied pushing a keychain across the counter. "He's upstairs. You can let yourself in." George winked at her before returning to the task of filling the candy trays. "They better use a silencing charm," he muttered to himself as Hermione disappeared through the door at the back of the room.

Pausing at the wooden door at the top landing, Hermione inserted the key into the lock and pushed the door open. She was suddenly standing in the middle of Fred's kitchen. Fred's extremely messy kitchen.

"Hermione!" he greeted her, looking up from the steaming pot on the stove. He smiled, eyed her from head to toe and then winked. He swept across the room in his orange apron and gave her a sweet kiss. When he released her, she looked around.

"You're cooking?" she asked, somewhat startled by the state of the room before her. It smelled like burning garlic, and every surface was covered in food. A bag of breadcrumbs appeared to have exploded on the counter. There were eggshells on the table, and the sink was filled with dishes.

"I'm testing out my kitchen for the first time by making spaghetti and meatballs!" Fred informed her happily.

A plume of smoke caught Hermione's attention, and she ran toward the oven. She turned off the burner as the pasta boiled over sending noodles cascading across the stove.

Fred laughed nervously. "Well, at least the meatballs are still good."

She shot him a look of uncertainty and bent down to open the oven. Smoke poured out, and she barely glimpsed a pan full of what appeared to be black, Muggle golf balls. Slamming the door shut again, she said, "Fred, turn the oven off! Now!"

He did as he was told. "Maybe it's a good thing I didn't start the sauce yet…."

Hermione sat on the floor and laughed. "Aside from the night at the pub, all of our dates have turned out to be disastrous."

"Well that may be the case, but that doesn't mean I want to stop trying to impress you," he replied, dumping the remainder of the pot of noodles into the sink. "You're kind of important."

Hermione sent the charred meatballs into the trash bin with a flick of her wand, and couldn't help but smile at Fred. A short while later, after Hermione took control of the kitchen, they sat at the table enjoying some chicken nuggets she had found in the freezer.

"I didn't really want spaghetti anyway, honestly," Hermione assured him when he pouted.

"I just wanted to make you dinner. I feel so inept!" Fred complained, popping another nugget into his mouth.

Hermione considered his words. "If you're inept, I'm a lost cause, Fred!"

His brow crinkled. "What do you mean?" His eyes examined her, sending a chill of excitement through her.

"Nothing! Do you want to watch a movie or something?" Hermione asked, picking up her beaded bag which she had dropped by the door. She quickly stuffed a mint in her mouth before taking Fred's hand and following him to the small den.

He turned the television on and inserted a movie before turning off most of the lights and settling on the couch next to her. The nervous energy Hermione had felt during the walk from her own apartment started to return. After a moment of silence, Fred turned to her and blurted, "I didn't want to let you down again! I'll go to cooking school!"

Hermione was laughing before he could say anything else. "Fred, you're a riot!"

"What's so funny about that? First I nearly poison you with migraine candies, and then I can't even cook a simple dinner! How am I supposed to keep you around long enough to see you in a bikini?"

"It's just you I want!" She kissed him hard as the movie started to play. With a tug at the collar of his shirt, Hermione lay down along the cushions and pulled him down with her.

"Hermione," he whispered as she pulled his face toward her for another kiss. She felt empowered and almost giddy as she ran her hands through his messy ginger hair. Fred's hands found her curves through her clothes, and Hermione sighed.

Fred pulled her more solidly against his firm body, and he was surprised to find Hermione's hands running along his sides. An instant later, she had pulled his shirt over his head. "Much better," she told him, a coy smile on her lips. His sapphire eyes darkened a shade, and Hermione's tummy gave a little flip.

He supported himself with both arms on either side of her head, teasing her lips and tongue. It was hard for him to concentrate on her mouth when Hermione was running her warm hands all over his torso. When he kissed her, she pulled his hair with one hand found his belt with the other. "You're not playing fair," he scolded, pulling her hand away from the front of his trousers.

In one swift motion, he sat up and pulled her down onto his lap. Hermione giggled, surprised by their new position. Fred's messy hair fell into his eyes, and Hermione smoothed it away. Gazes never breaking, Fred let his fingers travel from her shoulders to the hem of her tee shirt. Slowly, he pulled the shirt higher and higher, exposing several inches of her skin. She bit her lip, keeping her eyes on his.

When he had pulled the fabric over her hair, he finally indulged in looking at her body. Her skin was creamy and her curves were perfect. "Dear gods, Hermione," he groaned. She leaned forward and kissed him again, her lips moving roughly against his. His hot, muscled body against hers was fulfilling several of the fantasies she had indulged in thinking about over the last several weeks.

"I've been thinking about this so much," Hermione murmured as Fred's lips found the side of her neck.

"Me too," he said, his mouth against her flesh.

Fred's hands tickled her sides and came to rest on the front belt loops of her jeans. His eyes sought permission between kisses before he started to unbutton.

Hermione's kiss was bruising before she pulled away from him. "Fred, there's something I have to tell you," she said as he started to tug her trousers down on her hips.

"Yes?" he asked huskily, pausing in his movements.

She took a deep breath before saying, "I'm a virgin."

* * *

_There, she finally told him! I hope you liked this chapter!_


	16. Chapter 16

_Craving Curves by WeasleyForMe_

_Fred is surprised to find how much Hermione has grown up since her days as the Gryffindor bookworm. He's even more surprised by how much he wants her. Hermione/Fred rated M.  
_

_Birthday Story for Preetoaka Raven Potter Weasley! Happy Birthday! Thanks to Clover Bay for beta reading this story!_

* * *

Fred looked at her for a moment and quickly shook his head. He smiled at his fantasy-come-to life who was currently sitting on his lap wearing a delightful pink bra and a pair of jeans. "I'm sorry, I must have missed what you said," he told her, running his fingers down her arms, trying to entice her to bring her lips closer to his.

Hermione nervously chewed on her bottom lip. The only sound in the room was coming from the forgotten movie playing on the television behind her, and she was dreading repeating herself.

"Fred, I said I'm a virgin," she stated again.

He slowly nodded his head in response, and his fingers froze on her arms. "Really?" he asked, still seemingly very confused. His brow crinkled as he spoke very slowly. "But I though you wanted me to…"

"I do!" Hermione insisted.

Fred gaped at her. "I didn't think this was possible. I mean, you're just gorgeous, and I've been dreaming about your body for weeks. You can even ask George, I've been practically drooling at the thought of you. I can't get you out of my mind. And, you've begun to make me sound sappy!"

Hermione's heart thudded in her chest as she recalled the dreams she had been having about Fred. "The feeling is mutual," she whispered, wishing he would touch her again. "You didn't have to stop," she added, leaning toward him. "I just wanted you to know."

Fred could not wrap his mind around it. The saucy, intelligent woman on his lap was a virgin and inviting him to take her to his bedroom. "Are you sure you want it to be me?" he asked, as of yet unwilling to let his hands return to her skin, fearful that she may still change her mind.

"I'm sure," she told him with a smile. "I want _you_, Fred."

He stood and scooped her into his arms, peppering kisses on her cheek. Then he abruptly stopped and she slid from his grasp until her feet touched the floor. "Wait, you dated Ron for two years, and you're a virgin?" he asked, completely shocked.

Hermione nodded.

"Two years with you?" he repeated, letting his eyes travel the length of her body. "And nothing? Does he like men, or is there something seriously wrong with him?" he asked, extremely concerned about his younger brother's mental wellbeing.

Hermione giggled and hit Fred's arm. "There's nothing wrong with him. I just wasn't ready. But I'm ready now. Where's your bedroom?" she asked, pulling Fred down the hallway past the kitchen.

Fred decided that Ron's loss was his gain. "At the end of the hallway," he whispered, scooping her up again before she had the chance to rush into his room. He gingerly carried her down the hall, occasionally pausing to kiss her.

"Fred," she whispered, clearly enjoying his attentions. He intended to show her what it meant to be treasured and wanted; he was thrilled that she wanted him in a way she had wanted no one else.

"Hermione," he whispered back teasingly, finally entering his bedroom with her still in his arms. He gently set her on the edge of his bed and pulled his wand out to light the dim lamp in the corner, giving the room a look of candlelight.

She took a moment to look around at the tidy bed and the mounds of laundry. The carpet was clean, but there were some dishes stacked on the dresser next to the door.

"How can your room be half clean and half filthy?" she asked, her nearly nude state almost forgotten, as she stood from the bed.

"I could use a woman's touch in my life," he replied with a wink, playfully snatching her as he leapt onto the bed. Hermione landed next to him in a fit of surprised giggles.

She braced herself, hands on both of Fred's biceps and straddled his waist. The denim of their jeans rubbed together, causing more sensitivity near Fred's groin, but he bit his lip, determined to let Hermione take her time. He simply lounged back on the pillow and grinned up at her.

"Now you're not playing fair!" she insisted, trying to tickle his sides and admiring his thin muscular build.

"I'm not ticklish," he informed her with a completely straight face. "I just like it when you touch me," he added with a smile.

Hermione leaned down and kissed lips, not ceasing the motion of her fingertips on his ribs. Fred's hands found their way to her hair, and a moment later, they slid down her back.

"Mmm." She moaned into his mouth, and he pulled her firmly against himself. Beyond the point of arousal, Hermione nibbled on Fred's lips and rotated her hips against his.

"Hermione," he groaned uncomfortably. "You're killing me," he said, glancing down between their bodies at the layers of fabric that were still present.

She blushed and rolled off of him, landing on her back next to his right side. "Sorry," she muttered, reaching hastily for him and trying to pull him atop her.

"Not so fast," he scolded, taking her hand and kissing her palm. "Patience is a virtue. And I'm sure you'll enjoy yourself a lot more if we go slowly." He maintained eye contact and watched her cheeks turn pinker as he trailed kisses up her arm. When he kissed her shoulder, she tipped her head back against the pillow. The rate of her breathing increased as he kissed her collarbone.

"I have no complaints about going slowly," she gasped, grabbing his ginger hair rather roughly as he kissed the tops of her breasts. Fred smiled against her flesh, thoroughly enjoying her reaction to his ministrations. "Just not too slow," she added, and he obliged by reaching underneath her to unhook her bra.

Fred removed the pink fabric and gently let it drop to the floor. "I promise not to go too slow," he told her as he ran his thumb over one pink, furled nipple. Hermione's eyes fluttered open, and she squirmed against him, trying to make more contact between their bodies. But Fred shook his head and ran his fingers along both of her full breasts. She was the most perfectly curvy, petite woman he could ever imagine, and she happened to be coming undone by his touch.

Hermione tried to wrap her brain around the sensations but was unable to. She had never had trouble controlling her thoughts before! In fact, she prided herself on her ability to use her mind. But when Fred leaned down and playfully nipped her pert breasts, all she could concentrate on was her pleasure.

Fred's sapphire eyes, which had been filling her dreams as of late, left her bare skin feeling scorched. He had always had a way to make her feel naked to his gaze, but this was a new sensation of vulnerability. But, she didn't mind being vulnerable with Fred.

She let her hands slip between them, pausing to grasp her own breasts before running her fingers along her tummy. Fred sat up at attention, mesmerized by her delicious movements; virgin or not, she certainly had the skills to keep his interest.

Once her fingers landed on her zipper, Fred's joined them. His gaze stayed fixed on hers as she wiggled out of her jeans. He barely took note of her white lace knickers before she sat up and pulled his lips to meet hers. "Your turn," she murmured against his mouth, but Fred deepened the kiss, sliding his tongue along her lips. He teased the tip of her tongue with his own as he used one hand to unzip his trousers and wriggle out of them.

Fred kicked his jeans onto the floor and immediately felt Hermione's tentative, curious hand feeling the front of his tented boxer shorts. He released her lips and lay down next to her, and she rolled to face him. "You're driving me mad," he told her, his voice taking on a husky tone. Feeling empowered, Hermione gently squeezed him through his underwear and was rewarded with a bruising kiss that took her breath away. When she did it again, he grabbed her bum and pulled her torso against him.

"Take them off. I want to see you," she commanded excitedly. Fred gladly divested himself of his shorts, and with a questioning look, he reached for her knickers as well. Hermione licked her lips nervously as she saw Fred's length and realized what was to come.

She nodded slowly. "I'm ready," she whispered looking into his impossibly deep eyes. He didn't look away from her face as he slid the fabric down along her legs. He then eased her nerves by covering her calves, thighs and hips in light kisses and gentle touches.

When he reached her belly button, he blew a raspberry on her tummy before winking up at her. She giggled until he reached her breasts once more. She drew in a ragged breath as his tongue drew slow circles around each nipple. "I'm ready, I'm ready," she moaned, bucking her hips up to meet his, seeking out some relief from Fred's torturous tongue.

Just as Fred's mouth found hers in a deep kiss, he pushed his length gently inside of her, moving very slowly until he had filled her. A tear fell from the corner of her tightly closed eyes, and he froze inside of her. "Are you all right, Love?" he asked, gently wiping the tear away and replacing it with a kiss.

Hermione exhaled slowly and nodded, opening her eyes. The pain was receding now, and an enormous pleasure was taking up residence in its place. "Yes," she whispered with a small smile. She tentatively moved her hips against his, and she watched Fred's head drop down so that his hair brushed across her chest.

He groaned but refused to move an inch until he knew she was comfortable. "Does it still hurt?" he managed to ask.

"Not so much," she answered, and he slowly moved in response. He watched as her lips puckered into a perfect 'O' shape and her eyes fluttered closed. He kissed the side of her neck, just below her ear as he withdrew and slid into her again.

"Fred!" she called out after he had repeated the motion several times. Her brain had fully shut down at this point, but she no longer cared. She grabbed at his arms, certain she would leave hand prints on his biceps. His delectable movements were bringing her so close to the satisfaction she had never quite been able to achieve on her own.

She opened her brown eyes to see Fred's sapphire ones fixed intently on her face. He smiled at her and twisted his hips slightly. Her pleasure spilled over the surface as the rate of Fred's movements increased. She tugged on Fred's hair and cried out a series of unintelligible words.

Knowing he wouldn't last much longer, Fred was pleased to see signs of Hermione's orgasm spread first across her pretty face and then spread through her writhing body. He let himself come as well, careful to keep his movements smooth inside her.

She gasped, trying to catch her breath, willing the feeling to return to her fingers. Never had she felt anything so amazing; waiting for the right wizard had been worth it!

"Fred?" she murmured against his hair.

"Hmm?"

"You're squishing me," she finally said with a small laugh.

He rolled off of her and landed on the bed, pulling her back against the front of him. "Better?" When she nodded her head against his neck, he whispered to her, "Thank you for the lovely gift."

"Gift?" she asked, turning her head slightly toward him.

"You." He kissed her temple and they both drifted off to sleep.

* * *

_Ahhh, smut :) I hope you enjoyed this chapter and Fred's reaction. Next chapter will most likely be the last one. Please don't forget to leave a review!_


	17. Chapter 17

_Craving Curves by WeasleyForMe_

_Fred is surprised to find how much Hermione has grown up since her days as the Gryffindor bookworm. He's even more surprised by how much he wants her. Hermione/Fred rated M.  
_

_Birthday Story for Preetoaka Raven Potter Weasley! Happy Birthday! Thanks to Clover Bay for beta reading this story!_

* * *

The next morning, Hermione woke to the delicious smell of pancakes and bacon. Her stomach growled loudly, and she realized she was curled up in Fred's bed alone. Pouting, she climbed out of bed, and realizing she was naked she wrapped the sheet around herself. After padding out to the kitchen, she found Fred arranging plates of breakfast.

"What are you doing?" Hermione mumbled, rubbing her sleepy eyes.

Fred spun around wearing just his boxer shorts. "Hermione, love! It's early," he said noting the time. "I was just about to put a warming charm on this food and come back to bed. I wanted to surprise you later."

"Did you make this?" she asked as she gestured to the food, her throat still scratchy from sleep.

Fred burst into laughter. "No, I wouldn't do that to you again! I ordered it from the café on the corner and they dropped it off," he told her as he wrapped his arms lovingly around her. He ran his hands along her curves through his bed sheet and smiled. "You look cute," he whispered into her messy hair as he held her close.

Hermione leaned up and kissed his neck, her hunger forgotten. "Let's go back to bed," she told him with a wicked glint in her eyes, and Fred couldn't help but feel naked, exposed, and electrified by her gaze.

He let her lead him back to his bedroom, then the shower and then the bedroom once again before they ate a very late breakfast.

* * *

"_London's Ineligible Business Owners" by Lydia Tafferton_

_Only a few short months after originally reporting on Fred Weasley's relationship with none other than Hermione Granger, Harry Potter's right hand girl, it has been discovered that Weasley and Granger are to be wed at the end of this month in a small ceremony at Hogwarts. This news means that the owners of Weasley's Wizard Wheezes, formerly London's most eligible business owners, are both officially off the market. In further news, George Weasley and his wife are expecting their first child, due around the same time as Fred Weasley's wedding. Congratulations to Wizarding London's favourite twins. _

Hermione smiled as she remembered the news article that had been printed about them. Dating Fred was every bit of the romantic, whirlwind type of romance she had imagined it would be. And then some.

She was flooded with memories. After about six months together, he showed up at her flat one night with cookies that he promised he had baked himself, and a beautiful ruby ring. "I love you. Make me happier than I ever thought I could be, Hermione. Be my wife."

"Yes," she said, leaping into his arms joyously.

After he placed the ring on her finger and held her tight, he asked, "Does this mean George and I have to start behaving?"

And that was when she was certain there would never be a dull moment, not with Fred around. They belonged together.

Finally, they would be married. "Are you ready for this adventure?" he asked, holding out his hand to her on their wedding day. He smiled and his sapphire eyes sparkled in the warmest way.

She smiled brilliantly at him and grasped his hand. "Lead the way."

* * *

_The end! I hope you enjoyed this story. I thought they deserved a happy ending :) Please leave one last review!_


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